dump

[[t]dʌ̱mp[/t]]

♦♦♦

dumps, dumping, dumped

1) VERB If you dump something somewhere, you put it or unload it there quickly and carelessly. [INFORMAL]

[V n prep/adv] We dumped our bags at the nearby Grand Hotel and hurried towards the market...

[V n prep/adv] He got my haversack from the cab and dumped it at my feet.

2) VERB If something is dumped somewhere, it is put or left there because it is no longer wanted or needed. [INFORMAL]

[be V-ed] The getaway car was dumped near a motorway tunnel...

[be V-ed] A million tonnes of untreated sewage is dumped into the sea...

[V n] The government declared that it did not dump radioactive waste at sea.

Syn:

get rid of

Derived words:

dumping N-UNCOUNT

German law forbids the dumping of hazardous waste on German soil.

3) N-COUNT A dump is a place where rubbish is left, for example on open ground outside a town.

...companies that bring their rubbish straight to the dump...

The walled garden was used as a dump.

Syn:

tip

4) N-COUNT (disapproval) If you say that a place is a dump, you think it is ugly and unpleasant to live in or visit. [INFORMAL]

`What a dump!' Christabel said, standing in the doorway of the youth hostel.

5) N-COUNT: usu n N A dump is a place where an army stores food and weapons temporarily while it is stationed in a particular place.

6) VERB To dump something such as an idea, policy, or practice means to stop supporting or using it. [INFORMAL]

[V n] Ministers believed it was vital to dump the poll tax before the election.

Syn:

ditch

7) VERB If a firm or company dumps goods, it sells large quantities of them at prices far below their real value, usually in another country, in order to gain a bigger market share or to keep prices high in the home market.

[V n] It produces more than it needs, then dumps its surplus onto the world market.

8) VERB If you dump someone, you end your relationship with them. [INFORMAL]

[V n] My heart sank because I thought he was going to dump me for another girl...

[V n] She was dumped by her long-term lover after five years...

[V n] I suggested that we not only dump the two companies, but that we also should ditch any other business not involved in soft drinks.

Syn:

ditch

9) VERB (disapproval) If you say that a parent dumps a child with someone, you are criticizing the parent for leaving the child to be looked after by that person. [INFORMAL]

[be V-ed with n] I was sometimes dumped with my grandmother or left with highly unsuitable au pairs...

[V n on n] He can't cope and dumps his two teenage boys on them to be looked after.

10) VERB To dump computer data or memory means to copy it from one storage system onto another, such as from disk to magnetic tape.

[V n into n] It can take a couple of hours to dump a thousand telephone numbers into a 128k EPROM pack...

[V n into n] All the data is then dumped into the main computer.

11) VERB If someone dumps on you, they treat you very badly and unfairly. [INFORMAL]

[V on n] He was a nice guy, Mona. He didn't dump on me.

12) PHRASE: v-link PHR If you are down in the dumps, you are feeling very depressed and miserable. [INFORMAL]

She's feeling a bit down in the dumps and needs cheering up.