dump
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to get rid of something you do not want, especially by leaving it in a place where you should not.
v.to discard or dispose of unwanted material, often in an unregulated or careless manner.
Simple“Someone had dumped an old sofa in the middle of the forest.”
In context“The factory was caught dumping toxic chemicals into the river, leading to a massive fine from the environmental agency.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to suddenly end a romantic relationship with someone.
v.to abruptly terminate a romantic relationship, typically without much warning or sensitivity.
Simple“She was devastated when her boyfriend dumped her over a text message.”
In context“After three years of dating, he decided to dump her just weeks before they were supposed to move in together.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to put something down quickly and without being careful.
v.to drop or let fall in a heavy, careless, or sudden mass.
Simple“He walked into the house and dumped his heavy bags on the kitchen table.”
In context“The delivery driver dumped the heavy crates on the pavement and drove off before I could check the contents.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
v.to move or copy a large amount of information from one computer system to another.
v.to transfer a large volume of data from one storage medium to another, often for diagnostic or archival purposes.
Simple“The technician had to dump the server logs to find out why the system crashed.”
In context“The software automatically dumps the contents of the memory to a file whenever a critical error occurs.”
- 05 B1 Intermediate
n.a place where rubbish from a town or city is taken and left.
n.a site for depositing garbage or waste material.
Simple“We took all our old broken furniture to the local dump.”
In context“The city council is looking for a new location for the municipal dump as the current site is nearly full.”
- 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a place that is very dirty, untidy, or unpleasant to be in.
n.a derogatory term for a place perceived as dirty, dilapidated, or lacking in amenities.
Simple“I can't believe they live here; this apartment is a total dump.”
In context“The hotel looked great in the photos, but in reality, it was a complete dump with peeling wallpaper and stained carpets.”
- 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a large group of items, like photos or information, shared all at once.
n.a large, often unorganised collection of digital content shared in a single instance.
Simple“She posted a photo dump of her summer holiday on Instagram.”
In context“The whistleblower released a massive data dump containing thousands of internal emails from the corporation.”
Synonyms - 08 C1 Advanced
n.a very informal and slightly rude way to talk about going to the toilet.
n.a slang or euphemistic term for the act of defecation.
Simple“The dog needs to go outside to take a dump.”
In context“He made a crude joke about needing to take a dump right before the meeting started.”
- 09 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the feeling of being sad or unhappy.
n.a state of low spirits or mild depression; almost exclusively used in the plural 'the dumps'.
Simple“He's been a bit down in the dumps since he lost his job.”
In context“The team has been down in the dumps ever since their star player was sidelined with a season-ending injury.”
UsageAlmost always used in the phrase 'down in the dumps'.
Synonyms
“Burnham said yesterday that fly-tippers will be forced to pay for the clean-up when they dump waste illegally.”
“When a little robot wakes on a rubbish dump, it knows it shouldn’t be there; but when it tries to go home, everything has changed.”
From Middle English dumpen, dompen, probably from Old Norse dumpa (“to thump”) (whence Danish dumpe (“to fall suddenly”)), of uncertain origin, possibly imitative of falling, similar to thump.
See dumpling.
Cognate with Scots dump (“hole in the ground”), Norwegian dump (“a depression or hole in the ground”), German Low German dumpen (“to submerge”), Dutch dompen (“to dip, sink, submerge”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.