flump

• flumpf

Onomatopoeic. Compare plunk.

• IPA^(key): /flʌmp/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌmp

flump

1. A sound of something moving or falling heavily, or with a dull sound.
   • 1986 August 25, “Children: Mat Mania: Falling for the Martial Arts”, in The Washington Post‎^[1], Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 8 July 2025:

     "Now again." The boy readies himself. The other children stand and stare. Parents look on expectantly. Flump . . . he lands on his back.

   • 1999 December 21, Jonathan Romney, “The 90s on film: From antique blood to flying cows”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 7 May 2014:

     The bird going "flump!" at the end of Barton Fink.

   • 2004 August 1, Nicholson Baker, Checkpoint, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 112:

     ben: Just lift the hammer. Good. Now when you bring it down, put your whole strength into it. Really kill him. Ready? Now, GO! / jay: HHHHHHHRRRRRRAAAAAAAGH! [Flump!] / ben: And again? jay: DAMMIT! [Flump!] BASTARD! [Flump!] RRRRRRRRAAAAGH! [Flump!] / ben: Okay, okay. Wow. So how do you feel now? Any better?

flump (plural flumps)

1. An instance of the dull sound so produced.

   Synonyms: plunk, thud

2. A type of large marshmallow.
   • 2014 November 12, Brian McIver, “Meet the stellar cast and crew behind new romantic comedy Scottish Mussel”, in Scottish Daily Record:

     As the lead cast get ready for an on-screen pint, or a packet of flumps in the case of Thomas, the fun and warmth on set is there for all to see and Riley is busy flitting between her on and off camera jobs.

   • 2016, Kes Gray, A Summer Double Daisy, →ISBN:

     So it means you'll always have room for ice cream, flumps, strawberry sauce and a chocolate flake.

   • 2017 April 3, “Easter 2017: Top unique and alternative Easter gifts”, in Express and Star:

     The luxury marshmallows were not your average flump, they had a chewy and sumptous texture that really gave you something to bite in to, covered in rich milk chocolate and sprinkles for that added sweet flavour.

3. (by extension) A fat out-of-shape person.
   • 2015 June 9, Martha Cliff, “'I looked like a blobby blancmange': Obese mother-of-five beat her sugar cravings to lose SIX STONE... after hating how she looked in pink dress at a friend's wedding”, in Daily Mail:

     Ruth said: 'I recently treated myself to a fitted, hot pink dress for a night out and banished that image of being a fat, pink flump for good.'

   • 2017, Susi Osborne, Angelica Stone, →ISBN:

     In reality I felt like a fat flump, my belly still bulging like a saggy balloon.

   • 2018 March 8, Jennifer Russell, “All the best one liners from tonight's new episode of Still Game”, in Glasgow Live:

     Peggy: Who you calling a flump?!

flump (third-person singular simple present flumps, present participle flumping, simple past and past participle flumped)

1. (intransitive) To move or fall heavily, or with a dull sound.

   Synonyms: plunk, thud

2. (transitive) To drop something heavily or with a dull sound.

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “flump”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

• Pflum