noun

stump

stuhmp

noun

The part of a tree, plant, or limb left behind after the rest has been cut off.

"He sat on an old tree stump to eat his sandwich."

"The surgeon dressed the stump carefully after the amputation."

In cricket, one of the three upright posts that make up the wicket.

"The ball flew past the batsman and knocked the stump over."

verb

To baffle or leave someone unable to answer.

"That riddle really stumped me."

"The final exam question stumped half the class."

To travel around giving political speeches; to campaign.

"The senator spent the summer stumping across the state."

To walk with a heavy, clumsy gait.

"He stumped off angrily without another word."

How to Use Stump

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishWhat's left of something after most of it is gone (like a tree stump), or, as a verb, to baffle someone or go campaigning.

Common mistake

"On the stump" is a set phrase for political campaigning — don't take it literally.

Common pairings

tree stump stump someone stump speech hit the stump

Word Forms

stumped past tense, stumps plural, stump plural, stumped plural, Stumps plural, stumps singular, stump singular, stumped singular, stumpest singular, stumpedst singular, stumpeth singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

He sat on an old tree _____ to eat his sandwich.

Etymology

From Middle English stumpe, related to Middle Low German and Middle Dutch words for a cut-off remnant — ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "blunt" or "part cut off."

Rhymes for stump

UMP jump dump pump hump bump lump rump sump Gump crump chump

See all rhymes for stump →