1
: a rounded protuberance: such as
a
b
: a fleshy protuberance on the back of an animal (such as a camel, bison, or whale)
2
British
: a fit of depression or sulking
3
: a difficult, trying, or critical phase or obstacle
—often used in the phrase over the hump
humped; humping; humps
1
usually vulgar
: to copulate with
2
: to exert (oneself) vigorously
3
: to make humpbacked : hunch
Synonyms
Examples of hump in a Sentence
Noun
failing her A-levels has certainly given her the hump
a cloud-capped hump straddles the border separating the two countries
Verb
the farmers had to really hump to get the harvest in before the rains
the boat was really humping before the motor started to sputter all of a sudden
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew MacConnell, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Bulls can weigh over 2,000 pounds and stand at around six feet tall, as measured by the characteristic hump over their front shoulders.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
On its back, scientists observed a hump of up to 13 centimeters (five inches) that was filled with a fatty mass.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 25 Sep. 2024
Other symptoms of Cushing's, according to Tang, can include a hump on the back of the neck, noticeable pink or purple abdominal stretch marks, fatigue and hair growth on the face.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hump 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Speed humps aren't scary if it's equipped with the £2,200 ($2,855) lift kit, which raises and lowers the front end in just four seconds—a six-second improvement over the 720S.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Bulls can weigh over 2,000 pounds and stand at around six feet tall, as measured by the characteristic hump over their front shoulders.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
On its back, scientists observed a hump of up to 13 centimeters (five inches) that was filled with a fatty mass.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 25 Sep. 2024
Other symptoms of Cushing's, according to Tang, can include a hump on the back of the neck, noticeable pink or purple abdominal stretch marks, fatigue and hair growth on the face.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hump
Dictionary Entries Near hump
Cite this Entry
“Hump.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hump. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share