lump up
B2 informal separable both
In simple words
To get lumpy or bumpy, or to make something get lumpy, like sauce that hasn't been stirred properly.
Literal meaning: 'Lump' means a raised, rounded mass; 'up' signals the formation or increase of such masses. Largely transparent.
Meanings
1 B1 informal
Of a liquid or mixture: to form unwanted lumps or clumps, becoming uneven in texture.
"The gravy will lump up if you don't keep stirring it over the heat."
Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 informal
Of a surface, muscle, or material: to develop raised bumps or uneven protrusions.
"The old plaster had started to lump up in places, making the wall look terrible."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Relatively informal and uncommon. Used in cooking (sauces lumping up), physical descriptions (muscles, surfaces), or figuratively to describe things becoming messy or uneven. Less common than simply using 'lump' as a verb on its own.
Commonly used with
sauce gravy muscles surface mixture plaster
Forms
Base
lump up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
lumps up
he/she/it
Past simple
lumped up
yesterday
Past participle
lumped up
have + pp
-ing form
lumping up
continuous
Understand "lump up" better
Try:
Real video examples
Video examples are being collected. Check back soon.
Synonyms
Want to master this phrasal verb?
Practice "lump up" on Looplines