VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

speed bumps

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈspiːd bʌmps/
US/ˈspiːd bʌmps/

“speed bumps” is a form of “speed bump”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. nounplural

    Low raised strips across a road that make drivers slow down.

    Grammar: Plural noun; use a plural verb: speed bumps are / were. The singular is "a speed bump".

    Patterns

    • go over a speed bump
    • slow down for speed bumps
    • speed bumps ahead

    The car bounced as it went over the speed bumps near the school.

    The city added speed bumps to stop people racing down our street.

    There are three speed bumps between the gate and the parking lot.

  2. nounpluralfigurativeinformal

    Small problems that slow progress but do not stop it.

    Grammar: Figurative use; often in the phrase "hit a speed bump" or "a few speed bumps".

    Patterns

    • hit a speed bump
    • a few speed bumps
    • speed bumps along the way

    The project hit a few speed bumps but finished on time.

    Losing that client was just a speed bump for the company.

    We expected some speed bumps during the first year of the merger.

Word forms

singularspeed bump

Common combinations

go over a speed bump
The taxi went over a speed bump and woke the baby.
speed bumps ahead
A sign warned us: speed bumps ahead.
hit a speed bump
The talks hit a speed bump over pay.
install speed bumps
The council installed speed bumps on the bus route.

Synonyms and how they differ

speed hump
British and more technical; it usually means a longer, gentler raised strip, while a speed bump is short and sharp.
sleeping policeman
An old-fashioned British informal term for the same thing; it sounds dated today.
road hump
A formal British term used in official documents, not in everyday speech.

Word family

bump noun
A raised area or a small knock; the base word in this compound.
bumpy adjective
Not smooth, full of raised parts or jolts.

Commonly confused: speed bumps or speed camera? speed bumps or pothole?

speed bumps vs speed camera

A speed camera photographs cars going too fast, while a speed bump physically forces drivers to slow down.

speed bumps vs pothole

A pothole is a hole in the road surface; a speed bump is a deliberate raised strip.

Practice

Drivers have to slow down because there are several ___ outside the school.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “speed bumps”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words