dump

[ duhmp ]
See synonyms for: dumpdumpeddumpingdumps on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to drop or let fall in a mass; fling down or drop heavily or suddenly: Dump the topsoil here.

  2. to empty out, as from a container, by tilting or overturning.

  1. to unload or empty out (a container), as by tilting or overturning.

  2. to dismiss, fire, or release from a contract: The first baseman was dumped from the team after hitting .210 for the first half of the season.

  3. Informal. to end a relationship with (someone, especially a romantic partner), especially when the decision is one-sided: I can’t believe she waited until just after Valentine’s Day to dump me.

  4. to transfer or rid oneself of suddenly and irresponsibly: Don't dump your troubles on me!

  5. Boxing Slang.

    • to knock down: The champion was dumped twice but won the fight.

    • to lose (a match) intentionally: a bribe to dump a fight.

  6. Commerce.

    • to put (goods or securities) on the market in large quantities and at a low price without regard to the effect on market conditions.

    • to sell (goods) into foreign markets below cost in order to promote exports or damage foreign competition.

  7. Computers. to print, display, or record on an output medium (the contents of a computer's internal storage or the contents of a file), often at the time a program fails.

  8. Slang. to kill; murder: There were threats to dump him if he didn't pay up.

verb (used without object)
  1. to fall or drop down suddenly.

  2. to throw away or discard garbage, refuse, etc.

  1. Commerce.

    • to offer goods for sale in large quantities at a low price.

    • to dump below-cost goods into foreign markets.

  2. to release contents: a sewage pipe that dumps in the ocean.

  3. Informal. to complain, criticize, gossip, or tell another person one's problems: He calls me up just to dump.

  4. Slang: Vulgar. defecate (def. 1).

noun
  1. an accumulation of discarded garbage, refuse, etc.

  2. Also called dumpsite, dumping-ground . a place where garbage, refuse, etc., is deposited.

  1. Military.

    • a collection of ammunition, stores, etc., deposited at some point, as near a battlefront, for distribution.

    • the ammunition, stores, etc., so deposited.

  2. the act of dumping.

  3. Mining.

    • a runway or embankment equipped with tripping devices, from which low-grade ore, rock, etc., are dumped.

    • the pile of ore so dumped.

  4. Informal. a place, house, or town that is dilapidated, dirty, or disreputable.

  5. (in merchandising) a bin or specially made carton in which items are displayed for sale: Fifty copies of the best-selling paperback novel were in a dump near the checkout counter.

  6. Computers. a copy of the contents of a computer's internal storage or of the contents of a file at a given instant, that is printed, displayed, or stored on an output medium.

  7. Slang: Vulgar. an act of defecating; evacuation: This photo is fantastic, except for the dog you can see taking a dump in the background.

Idioms about dump

  1. dump on (someone), Informal.

    • to treat with disrespect, especially to criticize harshly or attack with verbal abuse: Reporters never tired of dumping on certain public figures.

    • to unload one's problems onto (another person): You never phone me without dumping on me.

Origin of dump

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English dompen, dumpen in the sense “to fall suddenly, plunge,” from Old Norse dumpa “to thump, strike, bump”; modern senses of the transitive verb and noun are unknown before the 19th century, perhaps derive from another source, or are an independent expressive formation

Other words from dump

  • dump·er, noun
  • un·dumped, adjective

Words Nearby dump

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dump in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dump (1 of 2)

dump1

/ (dʌmp) /


verb
  1. to drop, fall, or let fall heavily or in a mass

  2. (tr) to empty (objects or material) out of a container

  1. to unload, empty, or make empty (a container), as by tilting or overturning

  2. (tr) informal to dispose of

  3. (tr) to dispose of (waste, esp radioactive nuclear waste) in the sea or on land

  4. commerce

    • to market (goods) in bulk and at low prices

    • to offer for sale large quantities of (goods) on foreign markets at low prices in order to maintain a high price in the home market and obtain a share of the foreign markets

  5. (tr) to store (supplies, arms, etc) temporarily

  6. (intr) slang, mainly US to defecate

  7. (tr) surfing (of a wave) to hurl a swimmer or surfer down

  8. (tr) Australian and NZ to compact (bales of wool) by hydraulic pressure

  9. (tr) computing to record (the contents of part or all of the memory) on a storage device, such as magnetic tape, at a series of points during a computer run

noun
    • a place or area where waste materials are dumped

    • (in combination): rubbish dump

  1. a pile or accumulation of rubbish

  1. the act of dumping

  2. informal a dirty or unkempt place

  3. military a place where weapons, supplies, etc, are stored

  4. slang, mainly US an act of defecation

Origin of dump

1
C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian dumpa to fall suddenly, Middle Low German dumpeln to duck

Derived forms of dump

  • dumper, noun

British Dictionary definitions for dump (2 of 2)

dump2

/ (dʌmp) /


noun
  1. obsolete a mournful song; lament

Origin of dump

2
C16: see damp

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012