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to lump it

to lump it

3 8.8
Accept something unpleasant without complaining
  • phrasal verb
  • /lʌmp ɪt/
  • UK
translation icon : aceptar
  • Love it or lump it, he is running your country for the next four years. Do you really want to let your resentment fester for that long?

Examples

  • We are as we are, and that's how we're going to stay... and if you don't like it, well, you can lump it.

  • You can either accept the new policies or lump it and find another job.

  • Alright, like it or lump it, here is my deal.

  • Like it or lump it, they all just had to get along.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • "You can like it or lump it, but you better get used to it because it's gonna happen.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The rules of free trade will just have to be respected, like it or lump it, United States.

    Academic text (2000)
  • That means, like it or lump it, I'm going to have to do it without nuclear.

    Blog text (9)
  • That is how we rolled, like it or lump it.

    Blog text (18)
  • If you don't like that, you can lump it... you and the state of Texas.

  • The risks and rewards in issuing a loan have always been there; this time around, the banks are going to have to lump it.

    Blog text (15)

Synonyms

to accept
vsto lump it
3.5

To tolerate an unpleasant situation without complaining

is more informal endurance without the formal tone of tolerance
to swallow
vsto lump it
  • Informal
146 7.2

To accept something unpleasant without protest

is general acceptance of situations rather than disbelief or shock
to suck it up
vsto lump it
  • Informal
81 8.8

Accept a difficult situation and continue without complaining

is plain acceptance without complaint rather than emphasising toughness
to acquiesce
vsto lump it
  • Formal
20 8.4

To accept something you do not want without complaining

is everyday acceptance without the formal or legal tone
to take lying down
vsto lump it
8 7.2

To accept unfair treatment or criticism without complaining

is general noncomplaining acceptance, not limited to criticism or insults
to grin and bear it
vsto lump it
  • Informal
5 6.8

To accept an unpleasant situation without complaining

is about simple acceptance without focus on hiding emotion
to take one's lumps
vsto lump it
  • Informal
2 8.1

To accept unpleasant results and sometimes punishment for something you did

is acceptance of any unpleasant situation, not only self caused consequences
to like it or lump it
vsto lump it
  • UK
1 8.6

Tell someone to accept a situation they cannot change

is personal quiet acceptance rather than a blunt directive to others
to make your bed and lie in it
vsto lump it
  • Informal
7.0

To accept the bad results of your own choices

is broader acceptance of situations, not specifically consequences of choices
love it or lump it
vsto lump it
  • UK
8.8

Accept something as it is even if you do not like it

is everyday personal acceptance rather than a forceful public command
to swallow the leek
vsto lump it
  • Archaic
9.9

To accept something unpleasant during talks to avoid bigger problems

is everyday acceptance of unpleasant situations, not specifically negotiation-related

Antonyms

protest
  • Formal
76 2.8

A formal statement that says you strongly disagree, often given in writing

How Accepting

to suck it up
  • Informal
81 8.8
to grin and bear it
  • Informal
5 6.8
to lump it
  • UK
3 8.8
to put up with
288 4.3
to accept
3.5

Surface Forms

lump it infinitive
lumped it past
lumped it past participle
lumping it present participle
lumps it third person singular

Morphology

lump + it

The meaning 'accept a situation without complaining' cannot be predicted from 'lump' (to put things together) plus the pronoun 'it' — the phrase is a colloquial, idiomatic usage where 'lump' has shifted to mean 'put up with' or 'endure'. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely not infer this sense; there is no straightforward compositional or cross-linguistically common logic linking the parts to the idiomatic meaning.

Etymology

Lump it may come from the image of being given a hard lump you cannot refuse, so you must keep it and not complain. That's why lump it means 'accept something unpleasant without complaining'.