goose bumps

plural noun

: a roughness of the skin produced by erection of its papillae especially from cold, fear, or a sudden feeling of excitement

Examples of goose bumps in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Every time her vocals seamlessly shifted from a keen voice, sharp as a blade, to a beautiful singing voice, the audience broke out in goose bumps, breath bated. Billboard Japan, Billboard, 7 Aug. 2024 After their opener, Maddie Musselman, twice a gold medalist, looked up into the crowd and felt goose bumps. Adam Kilgore, Washington Post, 27 July 2024 Birdy performed a version of one of her songs as a ballad, which built into a cascading sequence involving a looper pedal, that gave me goose bumps. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 22 July 2024 The fire-engine-red convertible that gave you goose bumps on the test-drive has turned into your regular ride. Jessica Dulong, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for goose bumps 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'goose bumps.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of goose bumps was in 1933

Dictionary Entries Near goose bumps

Cite this Entry

“Goose bumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goose%20bumps. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

goose bumps

plural noun
: a roughening of the skin caused especially from cold, fear, or a sudden feeling of excitement

Medical Definition

goose bumps

noun plural
: a roughness of the skin produced by erection of its papillae especially from cold, fear, or a sudden feeling of excitement

called also goose pimples

More from Merriam-Webster on goose bumps

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