stump

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈstəmp 

1

a

: the basal portion of a bodily part remaining after the rest is removed

b

: a rudimentary or vestigial bodily part

2

: the part of a plant and especially a tree remaining attached to the root after the trunk is cut

3

: a remaining part : stub

4

: one of the pointed rods stuck in the ground to form a cricket wicket

5

: a place or occasion for public speaking (as for a cause or candidate)

also : the circuit followed by a maker of such speeches

—used especially in the phrase on the stump

stump

2 of 4

verb (1)

stumped; stumping; stumps

transitive verb

1

: to reduce to a stump : trim

2

a

: dare, challenge

b

: to frustrate the progress or efforts of : baffle

3

: to clear (land) of stumps

4

: to travel over (a region) making political speeches or supporting a cause

5

a

: to walk over heavily or clumsily

b

: stub sense 3

intransitive verb

1

: to walk heavily or clumsily

2

: to go about making political speeches or supporting a cause

stumper noun

stump

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a short thick roll of leather, felt, or paper usually pointed at both ends and used for shading or blending a drawing in crayon, pencil, charcoal, pastel, or chalk

stump

4 of 4

verb (2)

stumped; stumping; stumps

transitive verb

: to tone or treat (a drawing) with a stump

Synonyms of stump

Verb (1)

• shuffle
• stomp
• stumble
• lump
• slough
• clump
• barge

Examples of stump in a Sentence

Verb (1)

the seemingly endless parade finally ended, and the drummers and tuba players stumped wearily to their buses

when my grandfather was a kid, he and his friends would stump one another to dive into the local swimming hole

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the Mojave, Weston saw Joshua trees as majestic extraterrestrials; Connell documents a nameless stump decorated with sneakers. —Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026

Robert’s large property borders a clear cut — a clearing where a pine thicket had been cut down in the summer of 2009 — leaving behind a mess of tree stumps and roots. —Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026

Verb

This is because tendons that normally curl the toes downward (such as when cats knead your lap) pull on the amputation stumps so that the stumps rub on the ground, and no mechanism remains to oppose that action. —The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026

As the campaign took shape, Crockett stumped in urban areas, trying to awaken and broaden the base; more than a million Texas Democrats who voted in 2020 stayed home in 2024. —Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English stumpe; akin to Old High German stumpf stump and perhaps to Middle English stampen to stamp

Noun (2)

French or Dutch dialect; French estompe, from Dutch dialect stomp, literally, stub, from Middle Dutch; akin to Old High German stumpf stump

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 5b

Noun (2)

1778, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1807, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stump

• on the stump
• stump speech
• stump-tailed macaque
• stump up
• stump work

Rhymes for stump

• bump
• chump
• clump
• crump
• dump
• gump
• hump
• jump
• lump
• plump
• pump
• rump

Kids Definition

stump

1 of 2 noun

ˈstəmp 

1

: the base of a bodily part (as an arm or leg) remaining after the rest is removed

2

: the part of a plant and especially a tree remaining attached to the root after the top is cut off

3

: a part (as of a pencil) remaining after the rest is worn away or lost : stub

4

: a place or occasion for political public speaking

stump

2 of 2 verb

1

a

: challenge entry 1 sense 3

b

: perplex sense 1, confound

2

a

: to walk or walk over heavily or clumsily

b

: stub entry 2 sense 2

3

: to go about making political speeches

stump the state for a candidate

stumper noun

Etymology

Verb

probably an altered form of earlier stump (noun) "a challenge"

Medical Definition

stump

noun

ˈstəmp 

1

: the basal portion of a bodily part (as a limb) remaining after the rest is removed

2

: a rudimentary or vestigial bodily part