overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

sump.

A hollow or pit into which liquid drains, such as a cesspool, cesspit or sink.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/sʌmp/
  1. A hollow or pit into which liquid drains, such as a cesspool, cesspit or sink.

  2. The lowest part of a mineshaft into which water drains.

  3. A completely flooded cave passage, sometimes passable by diving.

  4. The crankcase or oil reservoir of an internal combustion engine.

  5. The pit at the lowest point in a circulating or drainage system (FM 55-501).

  6. An intentional depression around a drain or scupper that promotes drainage.

  7. A sudden or heavy fall of rain; a deluge.

    Scotland
Where this word comes from

From Middle English sompe, either from Middle Dutch somp, sump or Middle Low German sump from Old Saxon *sump, from Proto-West Germanic *sump, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sumpaz. Doublet of swamp.

verb/sʌmp/
  1. Of a cave passage, to end in a sump, or to fill completely with water on occasion.

    intransitive
    We discovered a new passage, but it sumped after 100 metres.
    This low passage sumps quickly after moderate rainfall.
Where this word comes from

From Middle English sompe, either from Middle Dutch somp, sump or Middle Low German sump from Old Saxon *sump, from Proto-West Germanic *sump, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sumpaz. Doublet of swamp.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

sump has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

sump studiosump workshello, sump

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.