bumper to bumper

/ˈbʌmpər tə ˈbʌmpər/
adverb
  1. With vehicles positioned very close together, one after another.
    • Cars were parked bumper-to-bumper along both sides of the narrow street.
    • They drove bumper-to-bumper through the fog, barely able to see the car ahead.
    • The trucks lined up bumper-to-bumper at the loading dock.
adjective
  1. Describing traffic in which vehicles are so close together that they are almost touching, moving very slowly or not at all.
    • Drivers honked impatiently in the bumper-to-bumper jam near the stadium.
    • We were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for over an hour on the highway.
    • The parade caused bumper-to-bumper congestion all through downtown.
  2. Covering every part of a vehicle from front to back, often used for warranties or inspections.
    • He took his truck in for a bumper-to-bumper inspection before the road trip.
    • A bumper-to-bumper warranty covers almost all repairs except routine maintenance.
    • The new car came with a five-year bumper-to-bumper warranty.
What does "bumper to bumper" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean