bumper-to-bumper

adjective

bump·er-to-bump·er ˈbəm-pər-tə-ˈbəm-pər

: marked by long closed lines of cars

Examples of bumper-to-bumper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The neighborhood’s streets — narrow, snaking through hills and canyons — had become parking lots as panicked locals stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic bailed out of their vehicles and fled on foot. —

Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025 As the fire rapidly advanced, panicking drivers abandoned their cars on Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive, the Los Angeles Times reported, leading to bumper-to-bumper traffic jams as more people attempted to evacuate. —

Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025 The shutdown, which took place near Mile Marker 44, led to long delays and bumper-to-bumper traffic. —

Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 4 Jan. 2025 Hollis is sitting in her car in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Southwest 104th Street. —

Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for bumper-to-bumper

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of bumper-to-bumper was in 1925

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bumper-to-bumper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumper-to-bumper. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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