# Bump

Bump is a one-word forum reply posted to push a thread back to the top of a message board index. The slang was already familiar to internet users by 2000 and became standard shorthand across phpBB, vBulletin, and Chan-style imageboards throughout the decade.

## Overview
Bump is a one-word forum reply posted to push a thread back to the top of a message board index[4]. Most forum software sorts threads by most recent post, so adding any reply, even just the single word 'bump,' resurfaces the discussion for other users.

The term works as a verb ('I bumped the thread'), a command ('bump'), and a noun ('needs a bump'). On imageboards like 4chan the mechanic matters more, since threads without replies eventually get pruned. Some communities accept bumping to remind readers of an unanswered question, while others treat pointless bumps as spam[3].

## How It Spread
Through the 2000s 'bump' spread across English-language message boards and became standard shorthand on phpBB, vBulletin, and Invision-style forums[3]. Chan-style imageboards where inactive threads get pruned kept the practice directly useful, and free image hosts let users post reaction images featuring just the word 'bump,' turning the reply into a small image macro series.

Communities split on acceptable use. Urban Dictionary's 2003 entry defined a bump as a 'pointless reply, usually to one's own thread,' matching how many users viewed the practice[4]. A folk etymology treats 'bump' as an acronym for 'Bring Up My Post,' but this is a backronym that stuck retroactively[3]. Reminding a thread of an unanswered question was generally accepted, while bumping only to raise visibility was often treated as spam[1].

## How to Use
To bump a thread, post a short reply, typically just the word 'bump,' in a discussion you want to resurface. Because most forum software orders threads by most recent post, the reply pushes the thread back to the top of the index. Common conventions include only bumping your own thread, waiting a reasonable interval before doing it again, and adding a real question or update rather than a blank reply on forums that discourage low-content posts.

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Bump?
Bump is a one-word forum reply used to push a thread back to the top of a message board index[4].

### Where did Bump come from?
The exact origin is not documented, but one of the earliest surviving references is a StraightDope forum thread from 2000 titled 'Bumping Threads,' where users already treated the slang as familiar[1].

### What does Bump mean?
In forum slang, 'bump' means to move a thread to the top of the forum index by posting a reply, often just the word itself[4].

### How do you use Bump?
Post a short reply, typically just 'bump,' in a thread you want to resurface. Most forum software sorts by most recent post, so the reply pushes the thread back to the top[4].

### Is Bump still popular?
Bump is a classic forum term that was widely used across English-language message boards by the early 2000s[1] and stayed common on traditional forums and imageboards.

## References
1. [https://boards.straightdope.com/](<https://boards.straightdope.com/>)
2. [https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt](<https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bump](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bump>)
4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bump](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bump>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/bump
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