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bumper

 - 4 dictionary results

bump⋅er

1[buhm-per]
–noun
1. a person or thing that bumps.
2. a metal guard, usually horizontal, for protecting the front or rear of an automobile, truck, etc.
3. any protective rim, guard, pad, or disk for absorbing shock and preventing damage from bumping, as a rubber-tipped doorstop or an old tire on the side of a boat.
4. a cup or glass filled to the brim, as with beer.
5. Informal. something unusually large.
6. a person who molds bricks by hand.
7. Foundry. a machine for ramming sand into a mold.
8. a carangid fish, Chlorosombrus chrysurus, of southern U.S. and Cuban coastal seas.
9. Television Slang. a brief announcement about a news story to be covered later in the programming.
–adjective
10. unusually abundant: Bumper crops reaped a big profit for local farmers.
–verb (used with object)
11. to fill to the brim.

Origin:
1750–60; bump + -er 1

bump⋅er

2[buhm-per]
–noun Australian Slang.
the unconsumed end of a cigarette; cigarette butt.

Origin:
1915–20; expressive coinage, perh. b. butt 1 and stump + -er 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bumper
bump·er 1   (bŭm'pər)   
n.  
  1. A usually metal or rubber bar attached to either end of a motor vehicle, such as a truck or car, to absorb impact in a collision.

  2. A protective device for absorbing shocks or impeding contact.

bump·er 2   (bŭm'pər)   
n.  
  1. A drinking vessel filled to the brim.

  2. Something extraordinarily large.

adj.  Extraordinarily abundant or full: a bumper crop of corn.

[Perhaps from bump.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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