lump

A raised or swollen area under the skin or inside the body.

• She found a lump under her skin.
• The doctor examined the lump on his arm.
• Have you noticed any new lumps?

How to use it: a lump in/on something (He noticed a lump on his neck.)

Similar words: swelling, bump, nodule

Common phrases: painful lump, lump under something, lump in something

A small hard piece in something that is normally smooth or soft.

• There is a lump in the sauce.
• Break up the lumps before adding milk.
• She stirred the soup until every lump disappeared.

How to use it: a lump in something (I found a hard lump in the mixture.)

Similar words: clump, chunk

Common phrases: hard lump, lump of sugar, lump in something

A piece or pile of something without a clear or regular shape.

• He picked up a lump of clay.
• Add two small lumps of butter.
• The melted plastic formed a solid lump.

How to use it: a lump of something (She shaped a lump of clay into a bowl.)

Similar words: chunk, clump, mass, blob

Common phrases: lump of clay, lump of coal, large lump

A painful experience of being hit, criticized, or treated badly, usually spoken of in the plural.

• He took his lumps and moved on.
• The coach has taken plenty of lumps this season.
• We must take our lumps when our plans fail.

How to use it: take your lumps (The team took its lumps after a poor performance.)

Similar words: punishment, beating, abuse

Common phrases: take a lump, take another lump

A person who is lazy, slow, or not very clever.

• Get up, you lazy lump!
• He sat like a lump while everyone worked.
• Don’t be such a lump; help me carry this.

Similar words: layabout, loafer, oaf

Common phrases: lazy lump, great lump, useless lump

To put different people or things in one group without considering their differences.

• Don’t lump us all together.
• The report lumped several different problems into one category.
• Why do people lump these two writers together?

How to use it: lump someone/something together (Don’t lump all teenagers together.); lump someone/something in with someone/something (They lumped my travel costs in with other expenses.)

Similar words: group, bundle, classify together

Opposites: separate, distinguish

Common phrases: lump something together, lump someone in, lump something with something