Plural of Mumps
“Mumps” is an uncount disease noun and is conventionally used in that form rather than as the plural of a regular singular noun.
The disease name is “mumps”; it normally has no separate plural form.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| name of the disease | mumps | Keep the established disease name; do not remove the final -s. |
| more than one occurrence or diagnosis | cases of mumps | Count the cases rather than inventing a second plural form. |
| sentence agreement with the disease name | mumps + singular agreement | Treat the disease name as a singular name in ordinary syntax. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you referring to the disease name itself?
If yes: Use “mumps”; if you need a count, write “cases of mumps.”
If no: If “mumps” appears inside a different technical label or quotation, preserve that context rather than changing the word mechanically.
Examples
Mumps is listed on the form.
The disease name keeps its final -s and takes singular agreement here.
The school recorded two cases of mumps.
Occurrences are counted with “cases of mumps,” not with a newly formed plural.
The note refers to mumps throughout.
The established disease name remains unchanged.
Further guidance
Core difference
“Mumps” is the disease name itself, not an ordinary count plural formed from a singular “mump.”
Fast Test
Use “mumps” as the disease name; do not create a separate regular singular/plural pair for ordinary modern usage.
Usage Boundary
The final -s does not by itself prove that an English noun is a grammatical plural.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Mumps — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct evidence that “mumps” is an uncount disease noun; Cambridge Essential also labels it no-plural.