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
stumped; stumping; stumps
1
: to reduce to a stump : trim
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
1
: to walk heavily or clumsily
2
: to go about making political speeches or supporting a cause
stumper
noun
: 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
stumped; stumping; stumps
: to tone or treat (a drawing) with a stump
Synonyms
Examples of stump in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024
It's been a tradition to call the mini-weather forecaster Punxsutawney Phil at 7:28 a.m. EST from a stump to find out if winter is almost finished.
—USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024
In December, Haley received another boost in New Hampshire, securing the heavily coveted endorsement of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a popular anti-Trump Republican, who has aggressively hit the stump on her behalf and become one of her most vocal surrogates.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 17 Jan. 2024
So Brunstetter, hacking through the story with a scythe to make room, has left bald stumps everywhere.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Biden used a familiar populist line from the stump about shifting more cost savings to those on the lower-income side, at the expense of the top 1%.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
The kit was less than one day old, weighed about 2.2 ounces, and her umbilical stump was still attached.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024
Former President Donald Trump is laying the groundwork amid campaign stumps for what will likely be his foreign policy agenda if re-elected, including his eagerness to deliver foreign aid in the form of loans as opposed to grants.
—Emma Colton, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024
How to control Callery pear trees Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources recommends cutting larger trees down to a stump, then treating the stump with an herbicide.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Feb. 2024
Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
Trump was joined at the rally by Ohio Sen. JD Vance and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who have both stumped with Moreno and are considered potential vice-presidential candidates.
—CBS News, 16 Mar. 2024
He’s been traveling the country to stump for Biden.
—Laurel Rosenhall, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024
But in all this research, one thing has stumped us: The secret behind her smudge-proof red lip.
—Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024
In past cycles, presidential hopefuls have stumped in Arizona and built campaign organizations in the state ahead of the election.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024
Researchers were stumped and irritated by that discovery.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024
That said, some changes made to the FAFSA recently have left some of those filling it out for the 2024-25 academic year completely stumped.
—Robert Farrington, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
These areas often feature stairs and other complex surfaces that would stump CERN’s other, less maneuverable robots.
—Popular Science, 6 Feb. 2024
Noun
The greenish field is covered with brown leaves, tree stumps and small branches.
—Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024
It's been a tradition to call the mini-weather forecaster Punxsutawney Phil at 7:28 a.m. EST from a stump to find out if winter is almost finished.
—USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024
In December, Haley received another boost in New Hampshire, securing the heavily coveted endorsement of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a popular anti-Trump Republican, who has aggressively hit the stump on her behalf and become one of her most vocal surrogates.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 17 Jan. 2024
So Brunstetter, hacking through the story with a scythe to make room, has left bald stumps everywhere.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Biden used a familiar populist line from the stump about shifting more cost savings to those on the lower-income side, at the expense of the top 1%.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
The kit was less than one day old, weighed about 2.2 ounces, and her umbilical stump was still attached.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024
Former President Donald Trump is laying the groundwork amid campaign stumps for what will likely be his foreign policy agenda if re-elected, including his eagerness to deliver foreign aid in the form of loans as opposed to grants.
—Emma Colton, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024
How to control Callery pear trees Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources recommends cutting larger trees down to a stump, then treating the stump with an herbicide.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
Offscreen, Schaffer says he and David were stumped and, between filming these two episodes, realized no such word existed.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
Trump was joined at the rally by Ohio Sen. JD Vance and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who have both stumped with Moreno and are considered potential vice-presidential candidates.
—CBS News, 16 Mar. 2024
He’s been traveling the country to stump for Biden.
—Laurel Rosenhall, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024
But in all this research, one thing has stumped us: The secret behind her smudge-proof red lip.
—Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024
In past cycles, presidential hopefuls have stumped in Arizona and built campaign organizations in the state ahead of the election.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024
Researchers were stumped and irritated by that discovery.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024
That said, some changes made to the FAFSA recently have left some of those filling it out for the 2024-25 academic year completely stumped.
—Robert Farrington, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
These areas often feature stairs and other complex surfaces that would stump CERN’s other, less maneuverable robots.
—Popular Science, 6 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stump.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stump
Cite this Entry
“Stump.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stump. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stump
1 of 2 noun1
: 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 verb1
2
a
: to walk or walk over heavily or clumsily
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
noun1
: the basal portion of a bodily part (as a limb) remaining after the rest is removed
2
: a rudimentary or vestigial bodily part
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