lump
gb/lˈʌmp/ us/lˈʌmp/
A2
Anglais
~ 7200
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
entity
1
small solid piece of something
A small, solid piece of a material that does not have a clear shape, like a piece of sugar or clay.
Schéma d’usage :
a lump of [substance]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes say *"piece of sugar"* instead of the common collocation *"lump of sugar"* when talking about cube or rough pieces of sugar. Also, they may confuse *"lump"* with *"ball"*; *"ball"* usually suggests a more round, regular shape than *"lump"*.
Synonymes
chunk (Often suggests a bigger or more regular piece than a lump.)
Antonymes
powder (Refers to a substance in many tiny, smooth particles instead of in solid pieces.)
Collocations
a lump of sugar
|a lump of coal
|a lump of clay
|big lump of
|break into lumps
|lumps in the sauce
Thèmes
daily life
|cooking
|objects
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- He dropped a lump of sugar into his coffee.
- The recipe says to melt the butter, not just throw in a cold lump.
- There were unpleasant flour lumps in the gravy.
- She shaped the wet lump of clay into a small bowl.
- We found a lump of coal at the edge of the old railway line.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She put one lump of sugar in her tea.
- There are lumps in this soup, so it is not smooth.
- He held a lump of wet clay in his hands.
- I bit a hard lump in the cake and almost broke my tooth.
Nom
B1
entity
2
small swelling in body tissue
A small, higher area you can see or feel in or under your skin, which can be from an injury or illness.
Schéma d’usage :
to find/feel a lump in/on [part of body]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse *"lump"* (a solid raised area) with *"bruise"* (a dark mark on the skin) or use only *"bump"*. A *"lump"* is what you can feel as a raised mass; a *"bruise"* is a change in color, and a *"bump"* is a more informal word that can mean either.
Synonymes
swelling (More general and often used for larger or less clearly defined raised areas.)
Antonymes
flatness (Describes the normal, even surface of skin or tissue without any raised area.)
Collocations
find a lump
|feel a lump
|a breast lump
|a cancerous lump
|a suspicious lump
|a lump on his head
Thèmes
health
|medicine
|daily life
|body
Exemples
- She went to the doctor after finding a small lump in her breast.
- The nurse checked the lump on his neck and ordered some tests.
- He hit his head on the doorframe and woke up with a large lump on his forehead.
- Any new lump under the skin should be checked by a health professional.
- The scan showed that the lump in his throat was benign.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I felt a lump in my neck and got scared.
- There is a small lump on his arm after the fall.
- She is worried because she found a lump in her breast.
- The doctor said the lump is not dangerous, but they will watch it.
Verbe
B2
action
3
group together without distinction
To think of people or things as the same group, without seeing how they are different.
Schéma d’usage :
to lump [people/things] together
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes say *"mix"* or *"put together"* when they mean that the grouping is careless or unfair. In these cases, *"lump together"* or *"lump [someone] in with"* is more natural.
Synonymes
group (Neutral; does not itself suggest that the grouping is careless or unfair, unlike "lump" which often does.)
Antonymes
distinguish (Focuses on seeing or pointing out the differences instead of treating things as one group.)
Collocations
lump together
|lump all [group] together
|lump [someone] in with
|tend to lump
|cannot be lumped together
Thèmes
thinking
|society
|language
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- It's unfair to lump all teenagers together as troublemakers.
- The report wrongly lumped small family firms in with multinational corporations.
- We shouldn't lump mental health problems under one simple label.
- They tend to lump all forms of online criticism together as abuse.
- Artists from very different traditions are often lumped together in the same exhibition.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Do not lump all old people together. They are different.
- He felt hurt when the teacher lumped him in with the noisy students.
- The article lumps many kinds of games together as "addictive."
- You cannot lump this country together with its neighbors. It is very different.
Nom
informal
B2
entity
4
heavy, slow, often lazy person
A word for a person who seems big, heavy, and slow, and often lazy or not very smart.
Schéma d’usage :
a great/big/useless lump
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think this meaning is neutral like *"person"*. It is usually negative or teasing and should not be used to politely describe someone.
Synonymes
oaf (Also an insult for a clumsy or stupid person, often slightly stronger or more old-fashioned than "lump.")
Antonymes
livewire (Describes a very lively, energetic person, the opposite of a heavy, inactive "lump.")
Collocations
you big lump
|a great lump
|a useless lump
|a lazy lump
Thèmes
people
|emotions
|insults
|daily_life
Exemples
- Get up and help instead of sitting there like a great lump.
- Stop being such a useless lump and do something.
- He felt like a lump on the sofa after days of doing nothing.
- She called him a big lump for sleeping through his alarm again.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He just sits on the couch like a big lump.
- My dad told my brother, "Don’t be a lazy lump. Go outside."
- She felt like a lump because she was too tired to move.
- I don’t want to be a lump who never does any exercise.
Verbe
informal
B2
action
5
reluctantly accept something unpleasant
To accept something you do not like, because you cannot change it.
Schéma d’usage :
to lump [something]
Erreur fréquente :
This sense is almost always used in fixed phrases like *"like it or lump it"* or *"you’ll have to lump it."* Learners sometimes try to say *"I lumped the problem"* without context; this sounds unnatural.
Synonymes
put up with (Very similar meaning, but more common and slightly less sharp or rude than "lump it.")
Antonymes
resist (Means to fight against a situation instead of accepting it.)
Collocations
like it or lump it
|have to lump it
|just lump it
Thèmes
emotions
|conflict
|daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The price is going up, and customers will just have to lump it.
- You can complain if you like, but in the end you’ll lump it.
- He didn’t get the promotion and had to lump it.
- If you don’t like the rules, you can lump it.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The boss said there is no money, so we must lump it.
- I do not like this job, but I have to lump it for now.
- You cannot change the exam date, so you will have to lump it.
- She was angry but knew she must lump it.
Nom
B2
state
6
tight feeling in throat from emotion
A strange, tight feeling in your throat when you are very sad or moved and feel like you might cry.
Schéma d’usage :
a lump in [someone]'s throat
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes think this is a real object in the throat like food. In this common phrase, it describes a feeling caused by strong emotion, not an actual piece of something.
Synonymes
tightness (Describes the physical feeling but does not include the emotional idea as clearly as "lump in the throat.")
Antonymes
relief (The feeling when the tight or painful emotion goes away, opposite to the tense feeling of a lump in the throat.)
Collocations
a lump in my throat
|with a lump in his throat
|feel a lump in her throat
Thèmes
emotions
|body
|literature
Exemples
- He felt a lump in his throat as he said goodbye.
- With a lump in her throat, she thanked everyone for their support.
- The speech brought a lump to many people’s throats.
- I tried to speak, but the lump in my throat made it hard.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I felt a lump in my throat when I saw my baby for the first time.
- There was a lump in his throat as he talked about his father.
- The sad movie gave me a lump in my throat.
- Her kind words put a lump in my throat.
Verbe
informal
C1
action
7
move or lift something heavy
To pick up or move something heavy and hard to carry.
Schéma d’usage :
to lump [something] [somewhere]
Erreur fréquente :
This sense is not very common and is often replaced by verbs like *"carry"* or *"lift"*. Learners should use those more frequent verbs in most situations.
Synonymes
heave (Also means to lift or pull with effort; slightly more common and neutral than this sense of "lump.")
Antonymes
set down gently (Describes placing something carefully instead of moving it in a heavy, clumsy way.)
Collocations
lump the boxes upstairs
|lump it into the car
|lump the bags onto the table
Thèmes
daily life
|movement
|work
|daily_life
Exemples
- We lumped the heavy suitcases into the back of the car.
- He lumped the old television up the stairs on his own.
- They lumped all the chairs into one corner of the room.
- She lumped the bags onto the table with a sigh of effort.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He lumped the big box into the truck.
- We had to lump all the bags up the stairs.
- They lumped the old sofa into the garage.
- She lumped the heavy books onto her desk.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
lump
API
GB/lˈʌmp/
US/lˈʌmp/
Syllabes et accentuation
lump (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (lump)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: lump
- Plural: lumps
Verb
- Base: lump
- 3rd Person Singular: lumps
- Present Participle: lumping
- Past: lumped
Famille de mots
Forms
lumps
noun
lumping
verb
lumped
verb
Core family
lumpy
adjective
Related words
lumpiness
noun
Expressions
a lump in one's throat
1/ə lˈʌmp ˈɪn wˈʌnz θɹˈoʊt/
idiom
tight feeling in throat from emotion
A strong feeling in your throat when you are very sad or moved and feel you might cry.
Exemples
- He felt a lump in his throat as he watched his daughter graduate.
- The story brought a lump to her throat.
like it or lump it
1/lˈaɪk ˈɪt ˈɔɹ lˈʌmp ˈɪt/
idiom
informal
must accept it, like it or not
Used to say that someone must accept a situation, even if they do not like it, because they cannot change it.
Exemples
- The rules have changed, and you can like it or lump it.
- He told the team they would have to train on weekends, like it or lump it.
lump in with
1/lˈʌmp ˈɪn wˈɪθ/
phrasal verb
include unfairly in a group
To put a person or thing in the same group as others, in a way that does not feel right or fair.
Exemples
- She hated being lumped in with the lazy students.
- Small independent shops are unfairly lumped in with big chains in the new law.
lump it
1/lˈʌmp ˈɪt/
idiom
informal
accept something you dislike
To accept something bad or annoying because you cannot change it.
Exemples
- If you don’t like the decision, you’ll just have to lump it.
- We can’t afford a pay rise this year, so the staff will have to lump it.
lump sum
1/lˈʌmp sˈʌm/
fixed phrase
single full payment of money
A single large payment of money, instead of many small payments over time.
Exemples
- You can take your pension as a lump sum or as a monthly payment.
- They offered to pay the damages in a lump sum.
lump together
1/lˈʌmp təɡˈɛðɚ/
phrasal verb
group things together carelessly
To put people or things in the same group, without seeing or respecting how they are different.
Exemples
- The article lumps together very different political movements.
- Teachers often lump together shy children and rude children as simply "quiet."
one lump or two?
1/wˈʌn lˈʌmp ˈɔɹ tˈu ‖/
fixed phrase
asking how many sugar lumps
A polite question asking how many small pieces of sugar someone wants in their tea or coffee.
Exemples
- Milk and sugar? One lump or two?
- She smiled and asked, "One lump or two?" as she poured the tea.
take your lumps
1/tˈeɪk jˈʊɹ lˈʌmps/
idiom
informal
accept deserved criticism or punishment
To accept criticism, problems, or punishment, especially when you know it is fair.
Exemples
- He made a mistake, admitted it, and took his lumps.
- Sometimes you just have to take your lumps and learn from the experience.