Green’s Dictionary of Slang

bump (off) v.

[SE bump, to push]

1. (orig. US, also bump over) to murder; thus bump oneself off v., to commit suicide; thus bumped off adj., murdered; cit. 1918 refers to dying on the battlefield.

[US]W.M. Raine Bucky O’Connor (1910) 21: ‘Cheese it, or I’ll bump you off.’ The first outlaw drove his gun into the sheriff’s ribs.
[US]D. Runyon ‘In Old Juarez’ 1 Jan. [synd. col.] McGuire has bumped himself, they say?
[US]F. Packard Adventures of Jimmie Dale (1918) I viii: We was to bump him off, anyway, wasn’t we?
[US] letter in K.F. Cowing Dear Folks at Home (1919) 258: I have no idea of being ‘bumped off’ with money on my person.
[US](con. 1910?) H. Asbury Gangs of N.Y. 263: ‘An’ why,’ demanded Kid Jigger, ‘do I give youse half my stuss graft?’ ‘Because,’ said Spanish, ‘if youse don’t I’ll bump youse off an’ take it all.’.
[UK]E. Glyn Flirt and Flapper 95: Flirt: ‘Parker’ was asleep beside her [...] and at first she feared he had been bumped off .
[US]R.E. Howard ‘Alleys of Peril’ Fight Stories Jan. 🌐 They ain’t goin’ to be no murder done – not tonight. You can bump him later, if you want.
[UK]A. Christie Dumb Witness (1949) 123: You’ll end by getting bumped off.
[Aus]Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 26 Feb. 3/3: Well, so many got bumped off and never squawked that the coppers got tired of pinchin’ the ‘rod-men’ concerned.
[US]R.L. Bellem ‘Poison Payoff’ Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 In brief, you bumped him while he was defending the sanctity of his home.
[UK]C. Day Lewis Otterbury Incident 123: If you were a natural crook like Sharp you’d bump off your grandmother for 6d.
[Aus]K. Tennant Joyful Condemned 11: There’s a poor kid up at Grandma’s who just tried to bump herself off.
[US]P. Crump Burn, Killer, Burn! 41: Did de ole man go around bumpin’ off people wid bricks?
[UK]C. Dexter Last Seen Wearing in Second Morse Omnibus (1994) 434: Ainley thought she was bumped off.
[US]C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 109: Garcìa was tempted to [...] ask the surgeon if it was true that he was trying to bump off Mick Stranahan.
[UK]Guardian Guide 10–16 Oct. 17: Since he does not love his wife...he decides to bump her off.
[UK]Indep. 29 Jan. 3: The first thing I thought was, I wonder if they have bumped him over.
[US]C. Carr Our Town 337: ‘What would have happened if you’d told the Klan the story?’ ‘I’d have been bumped off,’ Willie declared.
[Aus]L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] There were any number of people who’d pay good money to have me bumped off.
[US]P. Abbott ‘Undetectable’ in C. Rhatigan and N. Bird (eds) Pulp Ink 2 [ebook] Rob the biggest bank in town, drive a luxury car out of the lot, bump off the people who deserve it.
[Aus]G. Disher Kill Shot [ebook] ‘I can’t think what else to do except draw him out somehow, like bump off my sister or something’.
[US](con. 1963) L. Berney November Road 55: Carlos had bumped him for reasons entirely unrelated to the assassination.

2. to die.

[US]H.C. Witwer Classics in Sl. 5: A relative of mine, i.e., Uncle Angus, had bumped off at his country home on Amsterdam Avenue, New York, and left me his business.
[US]H.C. Witwer Yes Man’s Land 224: I got a rich uncle in Philly [...] and me bein’ his only relation I rate his elephant-chokin’ bankroll when he bumps.
[US]W. Brown Run, Chico, Run (1959) 16: Ya can’t take no chances. What if Shadu bumps off? Do we let the nabs take us sleepin’?

3. (also bump out) to dismiss, get rid of.

[Aus]E. Dyson Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 38: Yer wastin’ time ’n’ affection on him, Sis [...] Bump him off.
[US](con. 1943) G. Fowler Schnozzola 219: Durante was bumped off the plane in Salt Lake City to allow a sergeant to have his seat.
[US]J.D. MacDonald Price of Murder (1978) 103: They can bump you out of that job.
[Aus] in K. Gilbert Living Black 289: They can’t just bump you off for nothing anymore, see?
[US]J.L. Gwaltney Drylongso 20: He comes over here, bumps a black man off his job.
[UK]Indep. Rev. 28 June 2: How long will it be before Jermy Paxman is bumped off Start the Week and Melvyn Bragg reinstated?

4. to wound.

[US]M.E. Smith Adventures of a Boomer Op. 83: I was bumped off temporarily at Soissons, recovered in time to go along with the bunch thru Belleau Wood.

5. (US Und.) to raid.

[US]Phila. Eve. Bulletin 5 Oct. 40/3: Here are a few more terms and definitions from the ‘Racket’ vocabulary: [...] ‘bump off,’ to kill, to raid.

In derivatives