speed bump
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A raised, transverse ridge installed across a road surface, designed to physically slow down vehicle traffic by creating a noticeable jolt or vibration when driven over at excessive speed.
Usage
A "speed bump" is a traffic calming device. It is used as a physical obstacle to force drivers to reduce their speed, typically in areas where pedestrian safety is a priority, such as residential neighborhoods, school zones, or parking lots. - Drivers must slow down when they approach a speed bump. - The city installed several speed bumps on our street to deter speeding.
Examples
- The new in front of the school has been very effective.
- My car's suspension is low, so I have to go over very carefully.
- Complaints about fast cars led to the installation of a .
Advanced Usage
- Figurative Use: Informally, "speed bump" can describe any minor obstacle or temporary setback that slows progress.
- The software bug was just a minor speed bump in the development process.
- We hit a financial speed bump, but the project is back on track.
Variants and Related Words
- Speed hump: A longer, more gradual traffic calming device than a speed bump, designed for slightly higher speeds.
- Traffic calming: The overall strategy of using physical design to slow vehicle traffic.
- Road hump: Another term for speed bump or speed hump.
Synonyms
- Traffic bump
- Sleeping policeman (British English)
Related Phrases/Idioms
- "To hit a speed bump": To encounter a minor problem or delay.
- The negotiations hit a speed bump when the budget was discussed.
Noun
- a hindrance to speeding created by a crosswise ridge in the surface of a roadway