Meanings
hump1
plural humps
- A speed bump or speed hump.
- slangvulgarAn act of sexual intercourse.
- A wave that forms in front of an operating hovercraft and impedes progress at low speeds.
present singular third person humps · participle present humping · participle past humped · past humped
- transitiveTo bend something into a hump.
The cattle were very uncomfortable, standing humped up in the bushes.
1885, Theodore Roosevelt, Hunting Trips of a Ranchman - To rhythmically thrust the pelvis in a manner conducive to sexual intercourse.
- rail transportTo shunt wagons / freight cars over the hump in a hump yard.
1 more example
In the first phase of the new yard's operation, from March 6 last, it was wisely decided to restrict the yard's use to allow for any "teething" ailments with complex electronic gadgets, so when I visited Margam early in May it was working well below its capacity, humping about 1,000 wagons a day; […].
1960 July, G. Freeman Allen, “Margam yard - the most modern in Europe”, in Trains Illustrated, pages 405, 407 - UKobsoleteslangtransitiveTo botch or spoil.
"Why, sir," said one patterer, "I've gone out with a mate to work a litany, and he's humped it in no time." To 'hump,' in street parlance, is equivalent to 'botch,' in more genteel colloquialism.
1851, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, published 1861
Hump2
- historicalslangWorld War IIThe Himalayas (a mountain range in Asia), as the challenge for the supply route between India and China.
The C-47s could not make it over the Hump with a full load and full tanks.
- A diminutive of the male given names Humphrey and Humphry.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA deformity in humans caused by abnormal curvature of the upper spine.
nounA rounded fleshy mass, such as on a camel or zebu.
verbTo carry (something), especially with some exertion.
verbTo have sex (with).
verbTo vex or annoy.
to go on foot
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomething that bulges out or is protuberant or projects from its surroundings
verbround one's back by bending forward and drawing the shoulders forward
verbhave sexual intercourse with
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*kewb-
- Proto-Indo-European*kumb-“curved”
- Proto-Germanic*humpaz“hip, height”
- Old Saxon*hump“hill, heap, thick piece”
- Middle Low Germanhump“heap, hill, stump”
- Dutchhomp“hump, lump”
- Englishhump
Probably borrowed from Dutch homp (“hump, lump”) or Middle Low German hump (“heap, hill, stump”), from Old Saxon *hump (“hill, heap, thick piece”), from Proto-Germanic *humpaz (“hip, height”), from Proto-Indo-European *kumb- (“curved”). Compare Proto-Germanic *huppōną (“to hop”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewb-, *ḱewb- (unnasalised root), and English hub (a softened variant without nasal?). Cognate with West Frisian hompe (“lump, chunk”), Icelandic huppur (“flank”), Welsh cwm (“a hollow”), Latin incumbō (“to lie down”), Albanian sumbull (“round button, bud”), Ancient Greek κύμβη (kúmbē, “bowl”), Avestan 𐬑𐬎𐬨𐬠𐬀 (xumba, “pot”), Sanskrit कुम्ब (kúmba, “thick end of bone”). Replaced, and perhaps influenced by, Old English crump (“crooked, bent”). More at cramp.
More words from Dutch, Middle Low German, Old Saxon
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὗβος, ἐρείδω
- ὗβος (hûbos)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- ἐρείδω (ereídō)to have sex with
Arabic سَنَام, حَدَبَة
- سَنَام (sanām)deformity of the human back
- حَدَبَة (ḥadaba)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- سَنَام (sanām)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Bengali কুঁজ
- কুঁজ (kũj)deformity of the human back
Bulgarian хълм, гъ́рбица
- хълм (hălm)mound of earth
- гъ́рбица (gắrbica)deformity of the human back
- гърбица (gărbica)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- съвокупление (săvokuplenie)slang: act of sexual intercourse
- лошо настроение (lošo nastroenie)bad mood
- изгърбвам (izgărbvam)to bend something into a hump
- гърбя (gărbja)to carry something, especially with some exertion
- съвокуплявам се (săvokupljavam se)to have sex with
- чукам (čukam)to have sex with
Catalan gep, banya
- gepdeformity of the human back
- banyarounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Chinese Mandarin 峰, 丘陵
- 峰 (fēng)mound of earth
- 丘陵 (qiūlíng)mound of earth
- 駝背 /驼背 (tuóbèi)deformity of the human back
- 駝背 /驼背 (tuóbèi)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- 駝峰 /驼峰 (tuófēng)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- 峰 (fēng)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- 瘤 (liú)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Czech hrb
- hrbdeformity of the human back
Danish pukkel
- pukkeldeformity of the human back
Dutch bult, bochel
- bultdeformity of the human back
- bocheldeformity of the human back
- bultrounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Esperanto ĝibo, ĝibo
- ĝibodeformity of the human back
- ĝiborounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- fikito have sex with
Finnish keko, kasa
- kekomound of earth
- kasamound of earth
- kyttyrädeformity of the human back
- kyttyrärounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- panoslang: act of sexual intercourse
- huono tuulibad mood
- kyttyräbad mood
- tylsimysslang: painfully boorish person
- kyyristääto bend something into a hump
- köyristääto bend something into a hump
- nylkyttääto bend something into a hump
- raahatato carry something, especially with some exertion
- retuuttaato carry something, especially with some exertion
- köyriäto have sex with
French bosse, bosse
- bossemound of earth
- bossedeformity of the human back
- bosserounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- sauterieslang: act of sexual intercourse
- baiseslang: act of sexual intercourse
- cafardbad mood
- arrondirto bend something into a hump
- trimballerto carry something, especially with some exertion
- baiserto have sex with
- sauterto have sex with
German Hügel, Buckel
- Hügelmound of earth
- Buckeldeformity of the human back
- Höckerrounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- Bumsslang: act of sexual intercourse
- Trottelslang: painfully boorish person
- Trampelslang: painfully boorish person
- Tölpelslang: painfully boorish person
- bumsento have sex with
- vögelnto have sex with
- poppento have sex with
Greek τούμπα, μαγούλα, καμπούρα
- τούμπα, μαγούλα (toúmpa, magoúla)mound of earth
- καμπούρα (kampoúra)deformity of the human back
- ύβος (ývos)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- καμπούρα (kampoúra)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Hawaiian kuapuʻu
- kuapuʻurounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Hebrew גַּבְנוּן, חֲטוֹטֶרֶת
- גַּבְנוּן (gavnún)deformity of the human back
- חֲטוֹטֶרֶת (ẖatotéret)deformity of the human back
- דַּבֶּשֶׁת (dabéshet)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Hindi कूबड़, कोहान
- कूबड़ (kūbaṛ)deformity of the human back
- कोहान (kohān)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- कूबड़ (kūbaṛ)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- डिल्ला (ḍillā)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- कुब्बा (kubbā)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Hungarian domb, dombocska
- dombmound of earth
- dombocskamound of earth
- púpdeformity of the human back
- kinövésdeformity of the human back
- púprounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- dugásslang: act of sexual intercourse
- kefélésslang: act of sexual intercourse
- lehangoltságbad mood
- kedvetlenségbad mood
- rossz kedvbad mood
- púpossá/görbévé teszto bend something into a hump
- begörbítto bend something into a hump
- cipelto carry something, especially with some exertion
- megdugto have sex with
- dugto have sex with
- megdöngetto have sex with
- kefélto have sex with
Indonesian bungkuk, punuk
- bungkukdeformity of the human back
- punukrounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Italian bozzo, gobba
- bozzomound of earth
- gobbadeformity of the human back
- gobbarounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- gibborounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- paturniebad mood
Japanese 瘤, こぶ
- 瘤 (kobu)deformity of the human back
- こぶ (kobu)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- なんとかして運ぶ (nantoka shite hakobu)to carry something, especially with some exertion
Korean 곱사, 곱사등
- 곱사 (gopsa)deformity of the human back
- 곱사등 (gopsadeung)deformity of the human back
Latin gibbus, gibber
- gibbusdeformity of the human back
- gibberdeformity of the human back
Latvian kupris
- kuprisdeformity of the human back
Lithuanian kupra
- kupradeformity of the human back
Malay bonggol
- bonggoldeformity of the human back
Māori hiwi, hōpeke
- hiwirounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- hōpeketo carry something, especially with some exertion
Norwegian kulrygg, jokke
- kulryggdeformity of the human back
- jokketo have sex with
Norwegian Bokmål pukkel, pukkel
- pukkeldeformity of the human back
- pukkelrounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Persian غوز, گوژ
- غوز (ġuz)deformity of the human back
- گوژ (guž)deformity of the human back
- کوهان (kuhân)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Polish garb, garb
- garbdeformity of the human back
- garbrounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Portuguese monte, montículo
- montemound of earth
- montículomound of earth
- corcundadeformity of the human back
- corcovarounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- trepadaslang: act of sexual intercourse
- mau humorbad mood
- treparto have sex with
Romanian cocoașă, cocoașă
- cocoașădeformity of the human back
- cocoașărounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Russian буго́р, холм
- буго́р (bugór)mound of earth
- холм (xolm)mound of earth
- горб (gorb)deformity of the human back
- горб (gorb)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- совокупле́ние (sovokuplénije)slang: act of sexual intercourse
- перепихо́н (perepixón)slang: act of sexual intercourse
- тра́хать (tráxatʹ)to have sex with
- трахаться (traxatʹsja)to have sex with
Slovak hrb
- hrbdeformity of the human back
Spanish joroba, corcova
- jorobadeformity of the human back
- corcovadeformity of the human back
- jorobarounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- gibarounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- cogidaslang: act of sexual intercourse
- polvoslang: act of sexual intercourse
- cocharto have sex with
- montarseto have sex with
- montarto rhythmically thrust the pelvis
Swahili nundu
- nundurounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Swedish kulle, puckel
- kullemound of earth
- puckeldeformity of the human back
- puckelrounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
- liggslang: act of sexual intercourse
- juckato rhythmically thrust the pelvis
Tamil மண்மேடு, மேடு
- மண்மேடு (maṇmēṭu)mound of earth
- மேடு (mēṭu)mound of earth
- கூன் (kūṉ)deformity of the human back
- கூனல் (kūṉal)deformity of the human back
- திமில் (timil)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Thai หนอก, หนอก
- หนอก (nɔ̀ɔk)deformity of the human back
- หนอก (nɔ̀ɔk)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Turkish kambur, hörgüç
- kamburdeformity of the human back
- hörgüçrounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Ukrainian горб, горб
- горб (horb)deformity of the human back
- горб (horb)rounded fleshy mass as in camel's back
Urdu کوبڑ
- کوبڑ (kūbaṛ)deformity of the human back
Vietnamese bướu
- bướudeformity of the human back
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with hump
Anagrams
Cite this entry
hump. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hump
“hump.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hump. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hump,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hump.
Source: hump on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.