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bump cap

In the UK, a lightweight hard hat providing low-level impact protection, typically used in warehouses and maintenance environments where full hard hats are impractical.

ˈbʌmp ˈkæp141 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
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UK
#1·Apr 28, 2026UK

In the UK, a lightweight hard hat providing low-level impact protection, typically used in warehouses and maintenance environments where full hard hats are impractical. In the US, the term can refer to a baseball-style cap with a hard internal insert. The two senses reflect different safety standards and workplace cultures on either side of the Atlantic.

Warehouse staff are required to wear a bump cap in the loading bay rather than a full hard hat.
Origin: Descriptive compound: 'bump' (minor impact) + 'cap' (headwear); distinct from a full hard hat in protection level. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK

(UK) A hard hat.

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UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK

(US) A form of baseball cap.

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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

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