noun
bumper
BUM-per/ˈbʌmpər/
A protective bar at the front or rear of a vehicle.
The car's bumper has a dent from the parking-lot collision.
Etymology
Bump supplies the collision idea, while -er names the device that takes the impact. This sense first referred to railway-car buffers before being applied to automobiles.
In context
rear bumper wasn't really designed to stop any significant impact and to add insult to injury the rear of the car was also meant to crumple
More examples
- A sticker covered part of the rear bumper.
- The truck damaged both bumpers in the crash.
- She inspected the bumper before driving away.
Forms
bumper · bumpers