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

1. a hindrance to speeding created by a crosswise ridge in the surface of a roadway