Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

take one's lumps

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.16 in modern English

Syllables: take one's lumps
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

1

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To receive physical abuse and to survive.

Slang

verb

To endure through criticism or other adversity.

Slang

Example Sentences

"When frustrated tacklers finally do catch up with him, Arnett knows how to take his lumps. "If I hit the ground tensely, rigidly, and two tons of angry linemen landed on top of me, they'd break every bone in my body.""
"1987, David Fellman, "A Renowned Civil Libertarian," (review of Zechariah Chafee, Jr.: Defender of Liberty and Law by Donald L. Smith), The Review of Politics, vol. 49, no. 3, p. 444, As is the case with so many outspoken civil libertarians, Chafee took his lumps. He was strongly criticized by several Harvard Law School graduates."

Usage

Slang

Inflected Forms

taking one's lumps (present, singular) took one's lumps (participle, present) taken one's lumps (participle, past) taken one's lumps (past)

Synonyms

tough it out get one's lumps

Questions

What does take one's lumps mean?: To receive physical abuse and to survive.

How to pronounce take one's lumps

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