# Dump vs. Pour



## popthecap

Which of these do I use when referring to solid things? Like marbles, sugar cubes etc. I'm afraid pour is only used to liquids and or powder 

It's a really trivial question, but I couldn't find the answer in the dictionary


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## Wordsmyth

"Pour" can be used for anything that flows (in the broadest sense of the word), or that moves in a continuous stream. So if you had enough marbles or sugar cubes, you could pour them.

Used intransitively, we can even say, for example, "people poured out of the building into the street"; or, speaking of a landslide, "rocks and earth poured into the valley". 

Do you have a particular sentence, pop? Much depends on context.

As for "dump", that can be used independently of the type of material. It's often used for an offhand or careless action, or when whatever is being dumped is unwanted.

Ws


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## Smauler

"Dump" isn't used for small things.  Anything that acts like a liquid, we usually use "pour" for, unless it is a very large amount.  Marbles and sugar cubes don't really act like a liquid, we'd usually use either "put","drop" or "throw" depending on the context.


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## Wordsmyth

I'd say it's all a matter of scale, Smauler.

If you had a shopping bag full of small things (sweets, for instance), you could dump them out on the table, implying a quick action that empties the bag in one go — or you could pour them out steadily. (In that context, I wouldn't use "put", "drop" or "throw".)

Similarly, if that bag were full of marbles or sugar cubes, the same usage could apply. I agree that we wouldn't say "pour" for just half a dozen marbles or sugar cubes. 

Ws


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## Smauler

Wordsmyth, I don't agree with you that it's all a matter of scale.  I would dump my lorry full of wheat at the depot, I would pour my wheat in the kitchen (if I actually ground wheat in the kitchen).

I'd guess "dump" implies lack of care to some degree, with small things.


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## Wordsmyth

Smauler said:


> _ [...] _I would dump my lorry full of wheat at the depot, I would pour my wheat in the kitchen (if I actually ground wheat in the kitchen)._ [...]_



Possibly because you wouldn't have a lorry in your kitchen!  (A matter of scale? )

But seriously, this goes to show that usage isn't identical even amongst native speakers. It'll be interesting to see if others lean more towards your usage or mine, or indeed have yet a different view.

Ws


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## popthecap

I saw a video earlier and the guy was putting effervescent pills out of its sachet he said "... and we're going to start dumping the pills", that was the moment when this doubt came up, do I pour or dump pills? Do they mean the same? I think the same applies for marbles, coins and so. Thanks for the replies


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## Florentia52

I agree with Wordsmyth's usage. "My two-year-old dumped the entire box of Cheerios onto the floor."


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## Parla

I'm in general agreement with Wordsmyth: It depends on what's being dispensed _and how_. I'd personally _pour_ the Cheerios into a cereal bowl, but I've no doubt that a two-year-old would _dump_ them onto the floor.


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## Wordsmyth

popthecap said:


> I saw a video earlier and the guy was putting effervescent pills out of its sachet he said "... and we're going to start dumping the pills", that was the moment when this doubt came up, do I pour or dump pills? _[...]_


 Unless you're thinking of taking a lethal overdose by dispensing the whole contents of a large container of pills, I wouldn't say "pour": there usually wouldn't be enough pills to get that continuous flowing action.

I probably wouldn't "dump" pills either. I'd "put" them in a glass (if they're effervescent). I can't imagine what the situation is in your video, if the guy is "going to start dumping the pills". How many is he handling, and what's he doing with them?

Ws


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## Smauler

Personally. I'd never pour a shopping bag out (not unless something had spilt in it).

I agree that we dump them out on the table.  Dump...out is a common phrase.

I think that dump was a metaphor that we used which has come into primary usage.


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## popthecap

I think there were 20 sachets. It's a prank video, he smashes them until they're like powder. I guess "dump" would fit better


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## Smauler

You should _never_ pour, dump, or anything like that pills.  You _take_ them, carefully.


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## RM1(SS)

Wordsmyth said:


> If you had a shopping bag full of small things (sweets, for instance), you could dump them out on the table, implying a quick action that empties the bag in one go — or you could pour them out steadily. (In that context, I wouldn't use "put", "drop" or "throw".)
> 
> Similarly, if that bag were full of marbles or sugar cubes, the same usage could apply. I agree that we wouldn't say "pour" for just half a dozen marbles or sugar cubes.



I agree.  

The same holds with liquids: You could pour water from a pitcher into a glass, or you could fill the pitcher with water, invert it, and dump the water all over the floor.

So overall, I guess, it's a matter of technique.


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## Wordsmyth

popthecap said:


> I think there were 20 sachets. It's a prank video, he smashes them until they're like powder. I guess "dump" would fit better


OK, that's a very unusual context, and not at all typical of general usage. I suppose "dump" would work if he's going to throw them away after smashing them. That's a rather different sense of "dump".

 But if it's just describing the action of extracting them from the sachets sequentially, I wouldn't use "dump", because it's a lengthy process, not a single quick action. As RM1 says, it's a matter of technique.

Ws


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## zaffy

Smauler said:


> "Dump" isn't used for small things.  Anything that acts like a liquid, we usually use "pour" for, unless it is a very large amount.



A Canadian told a story from his childhood in which his mum got angry that he had stolen a can of soda pop. Being angry, she "*dumped* all of it down the sink".

Now is that use of 'dump' natural as for liquid? Shouldn't I say "she *poured* all of it down the sink"?


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## kentix

I think pour is more natural in that situation describing physically what is happening but he might have chosen the word dump to emphasize the idea of his mother taking harsh action in response to his behavior. Dump is harsher than pour. She got rid of his ill-gotten gains immediately, with one dramatic action.


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## Myridon

Dump has many meanings.  One is "to discard."  In your video, he means she discarded it rather than describing the action.


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## zaffy

And can I say "She poured the soda *in/into* the sink" like we say in Polish?


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## Myridon

zaffy said:


> And can I say "She poured the soda *in/into* the sink" like we say in Polish?


Yes, you can describe the action "She poured the soda into the sink."  That doesn't necessarily mean she discarded it. Perhaps she used it to clean the sink or she drank it with a sink-sized straw after pouring it into the sink.


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## zaffy

And how about a toilet?

"I poured that sour soup into the toilet" vs. "I poured that sour soup down the toilet."


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## GreenWhiteBlue

zaffy said:


> And how about a toilet?
> 
> "I poured that sour soup into the toilet" vs. "I poured that sour soup down the toilet."



It depends.  Did you flush the toilet or not?


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## zaffy

"I poured that sour soup into the toilet"   - I didn't flush the toilet
"I poured that sour soup down the toilet.  -I flushed the toilet. 

Right?


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## Packard

While these "pourings" are actually a solid form of cake decoration, it does show that these candies can be "poured"


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## kentix

zaffy said:


> And can I say "She poured the soda *in/into* the sink" like we say in Polish?


I would say she poured it down the drain.


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## lingobingo

A UK slant: I would never use the word *dump* to mean pouring away/disposing of a liquid. But I do use it as a general word for throwing something away: Shall we keep it, or dump it / bin it?


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## Packard

lingobingo said:


> A UK slant: I would never use the word *dump* to mean pouring away/disposing of a liquid. But I do use it as a general word for throwing something away: Shall we keep it, or dump it / bin it?


In the USA we can "dump" liquids, but it always implies that the "dumped" liquid is being disposed of.  We don't use "bin" to mean "trash can" in the USA.


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## kentix

lingobingo said:


> I would never use the word *dump* to mean pouring away/disposing of a liquid.


Would you dump a bucket of water? There is no small neck that would limit getting rid of it in one movement.


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## zaffy

kentix said:


> I would say she poured it down the drain.



Does that suggest toilet only or could it refer to the sink drain too?


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## kentix

It would suggest the sink.


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## zaffy

kentix said:


> It would suggest the sink.


So how do I word it so as to imply the toilet?


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## heypresto

You don't need to _imply _the toilet, just say 'the toilet': _She poured it down the toilet_.


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## zaffy

And if it were a solid thing, I might say "I dumped it down the toilet", right?


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## heypresto

As long as it wasn't _too _solid, yes.


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## zaffy

And If I wanted to use slang, could I say 'I dumped/poured it down the shitter"?


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## heypresto

No. Not in BE anyway. In BE some speakers' slang that word has another meaning.

But this is going way off topic.


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## zaffy

Sure, you're right. I asked the question here: restroom/toilet/bathroom/loo


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## zaffy

And what would the difference be between these two? Or do they mean the same?

-I poured that sour soup down the toilet. 
-I flushed that sour soup down the toilet.


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## heypresto

You can pour the soup down the toilet without flushing it. But it's pretty likely that you will flush it. So in practice they mean the same.


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## zaffy

He's decided to add some more flower to his dough and used the verb "dump". Would BE use it too or does it sound American?


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## lingobingo

There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be used in BE. It’s perfectly clear, if a rather odd word to choose. But a Brit might well use a casual verb such as *plonk*: I’ll just plonk some more flour in here…


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## heypresto

I'd probably say 'add' here, but 'dump' sounds pretty natural, in a chatty, casual, informal context. It doesn't sound particularly American to me.


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## zaffy

And 'pour' would sound perfectly natural too, right?


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## lingobingo

*Pour* is the obvious/standard verb to use.


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## Packard

I just looked up the recipe for pound cake and found these instructions:


_ Step 3   
*Combine* flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.* Add* 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture, mixing on low speed, until just blended. *Add* 1/2 cup milk and beat on low speed until just blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula between each addition. *Repeat* with remaining dry ingredients and milk._
_    Step 4   
*Pour* batter into the prepared baking pan, filling no more than 2/3 full. Smooth the top with a spoon or a spatula._


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