tump
Tip something over — lemonade, canoe, or a stack of feed.
Also called tump over.
Updated September 24, 2026
tump pronunciation
/TUMP/
Meaning
In Southern talk, tump almost always means tip or knock over, usually said as "tump over." You tump a drink, a canoe, a chair, or a load in the truck bed. Dictionaries also list an older British noun sense for a small hill or clump of plants, the glossary's "mound," but that is not what you hear on a Southern porch. Down here it is the spill.
How folks use it
- “Careful — you'll tump that sweet tea right off the tailgate.”
- “We tumped the canoe and spent the afternoon drying out.”
Origin and etymology
The noun tump for a mound comes from Welsh twmp and British dialect. The Southern verb meaning tip over is chiefly American South and South Midland. Merriam-Webster labels it "chiefly Southern." Folk guesses mix tip, dump, and thump, or point to British tumpoke "fall head over heels." Exact path is uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
Does tump mean a little hill?
In older British English, yes. In Southern American talk, it means tip over.