Meaning & use
over the hump
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Meanings
phraseidiominformal
Having passed the hardest or most critical stage of a task, illness or difficult period, so that things should now get easier.
Grammar: Usually follows be, get or feel: we are over the hump now.
Patterns
- be over the hump
- get over the hump
- feel over the hump
Once the foundations were poured, we felt we were over the hump.
The company is over the hump after two tough years.
She has been sick for a week, but the doctor says she is over the hump.
phraseidiominformalAmerican
Past the middle point of the working week, which in many offices is Wednesday.
Grammar: Often used with Wednesday: Wednesday is hump day, and by then you are over the hump.
Patterns
- over the hump on Wednesday
It is Thursday, so we are over the hump and the weekend is close.
Wednesday afternoon, over the hump at last, the office relaxed a little.
Common combinations
- get over the hump
- If we can get over the hump this month, sales should steady.
- finally over the hump
- After three sleepless nights, the baby was finally over the hump.
- help someone over the hump
- A small loan helped the bakery over the hump.
- once we are over the hump
- Once we are over the hump, we can plan a holiday.
- nearly over the hump
- The project is nearly over the hump, with testing finished.
Synonyms and how they differ
- out of the woods
- Out of the woods stresses escaping danger, while over the hump just means the hardest part is done, even if risk remains.
- past the worst
- Past the worst is plainer and neutral, whereas over the hump is more vivid and informal.
- turn the corner
- Turn the corner marks the start of improvement, but over the hump marks completing the difficult stretch itself.
Opposites
Word family
- hump noun
- a rounded lump or rise, as on a camel's back
- hump day noun
- informal name for Wednesday in the working week
- humpback noun
- a back with a rounded hump, or a type of whale
Practice
The team worked all weekend to fix the server. 'Now we are ______, and the rest should be routine.' Which is correct?
Choose one answer.
'Over the hump' is the fixed idiom for passing the hardest stage. The other options are not used, though 'beyond' sounds similar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “over the hump”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.