speed bump
5
3.2
- noun
- /spiːd bʌmp/
- Informal
:
obstáculo
- And then is where we hit our very first major speed bump in the whole thing.
- hit a speed bump
- few speed bumps
- just a speed bump
But for me, that year was the speed bump that I needed.
- But for me, that year was the speed bump that I needed.
- Now, most people tend to think of struggle as potholes, not speed bumps.
- Not one of us have been thrown a bump, a roadblock, a speed bump.
- But how does one prepare for that, that dip, that speed bump that, you know, the regression, the relapse?
- What if the breakup you had with someone who you were telling yourself was right was just a car that fell apart the moment it hit an unavoidable speed bump?
- Just chase whatever dream you are and then be humble during that journey and life is going to throw fucking speed bumps at you.
Examples
-
And that was an unfortunate set of speed bumps, to say the least.
-
My second year, I encountered a few unplanned speed bumps.
Academic text (2011) -
We start out strong, have a bit of a speed bump in the middle with "Alright By Me," but end incredibly strong.
Blog text (22) -
Changing education has so many, you know, speed bumps in the way.
-
And so find the plan that is right for you, but don't let this small speed bump along the way.
-
Or you work through this speed bump in order to salvage what's left of your promising career.
-
I'm swapping it up for an upgraded unit, and I just ran into a little speed bump.
-
But the only way that works is if there's not a single speed bump along the way, which I just can't see happening.
-
The Misses and I have had our share of marital speed bumps, like any other marriage.
Blog text (12) -
The project faced a significant speed bump when the funding was unexpectedly reduced.
Synonyms
343
3.4
A thing or problem that makes it hard to reach a goal
148
3.6
A problem that delays progress or makes things worse
88
3.8
An obstacle or problem you must overcome
51
7.0
Something that stops or slows progress
50
3.9
A problem that stops progress or makes a goal hard to reach
43
4.4
A thing that blocks a passage like a pipe or artery
37
4.2
A small problem that causes a delay
25
4.6
An unexpected problem that delays a plan
22
7.7
An unexpected problem that makes a plan or situation more difficult
21
4.6
A narrow place, like where lanes merge, that slows movement
19
3.7
A small problem that slows progress for a short time
18
4.4
A problem that stops progress or makes moving forward difficult
16
5.9
An unexpected problem that stops progress in a plan or process
14
3.9
Anything that makes a process or website harder to use
1
8.4
An obstacle that stops progress
A sudden problem that stops progress and causes delay
Antonyms
- Specialized
2
5.5
A substance that makes a chemical reaction go faster without being changed
How Disruptive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The figurative meaning 'a problem or obstacle that slows progress' follows directly from combining 'speed' (how fast something moves) with 'bump' (a raised obstruction that slows vehicles): the literal image maps clearly onto a minor impediment to progress. This road‑bump metaphor is common cross‑linguistically and follows a simple compositional/metaphorical pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Speed bump is also used to talk about problems. Imagine a small road hump that makes a car 'slow down', so a 'speed bump' in work means a small problem that slows progress.