noun

trump

truhmp

noun

In card games, a suit chosen (or turned up) to rank higher than the other three for that hand.

"Hearts were trumps, so her low heart beat his ace of spades."

"He led with a small trump to draw out the opponents' higher cards."

Something held back and used to gain an advantage at the right moment.

"She kept the signed contract as a trump in case the deal turned sour."

"His insider knowledge of the market was his trump against rival bidders."

verb

To beat or outdo someone or something, especially at the last moment.

"Her final offer trumped every other bid on the house."

"A royal flush trumps any other poker hand."

How to Use Trump

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishAs a noun, the card suit that beats all others in a hand; as a verb, to beat something by playing a stronger card — or, more generally, by producing something better at the crucial moment.

Common mistake

Don't confuse the everyday verb "to trump" (beat, outrank) with the surname of the same spelling — context makes it obvious, but spellcheck won't catch a wrong capital.

Common pairings

trump card trump someone's offer trumps everything

Word Forms

trumped past tense, trumped past tense, trumps plural, trumps plural, trumps plural, Trumps plural, trumps singular, trumps singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Hearts were _____, so her low heart beat his ace of spades.

Etymology

Probably an alteration of "triumph" — early card games used "triumph" for the winning suit, and it wore down over time to "trump."

Synonyms

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ruff clown cheat

Related Words

idiot fool joker clown cheat ruff bumpkin deceiver

Rhymes for trump

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

See all rhymes for trump →

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