1
a
: a card of a suit any of whose cards will win over a card that is not of this suit
called also trump card
b
: the suit whose cards are trumps for a particular hand
—often used in plural
2
: a decisive overriding factor or final resource
called also trump card
3
: a dependable and exemplary person
trumped; trumping; trumps
1
: to get the better of : override
where ambition invariably trumps loyalty—
Michael Kramer
Michael Kramer2
: to play a trump on (a card or trick) when another suit was led
: to play a trump when another suit was led
1
a
: trumpet
b
chiefly Scotland
: jew's harp
2
: a sound of or as if of trumpeting
the trump of doom
Examples of trump in a Sentence
Verb
She trumped my ace to win the trick.
Their offer for the house was trumped by a higher bid.
The need for blood donors trumps all other concerns.
Recent Examples on the WebFrank Stewart, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Doing good for others trumps doing for yourself alone as the moon and Jupiter harmonize.
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Declarer won in dummy and led the ace and nine of trumps.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
Tarot was just a trump card game first played by Europeans in the 1400s.
—Claire Salinda, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
South must maintain trump control in case of bad breaks.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
How on earth did the path of least resistance and keeping the trains on time trump safety, especially with the Olympics a mere five months away?
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024
West led a trump, and Cy drew trumps and cashed five hearts, pitching his low clubs.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
But submarines remain Russia’s trump card in naval combat; Moscow need only choose to play it.
—Mark Cancian, Foreign Affairs, 8 Feb. 2024
Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
The team gets a stroke of luck in the early rounds, earning a bye when tournament favorites South Africa see their arrival delayed by passport issues, though there’s no prize for guessing that sportsmanship will trump gamesmanship in the long run.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
But the group calls the lawsuit ‘unfounded’ But Paxton’s efforts were halted Monday when a judge ruled that his administrative subpoena is trumped by Texas’ rules of civil procedure about discovery.
—Holly Yan, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
For the 2024-2025 school year, Tufts’ estimates of expenses for undergraduate programs reaches nearly $96,000, trumping Wellesley — which comes in at about $92,000.
—Zenebou Sylla, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
In that sense, the left has mirrored the populist style of the far right, in which personality trumps the traditional party machine.
—Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Learn which West Coast city trumps the old pizza standbys.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024
War, labor strikes and a thorny political season made scant inroads at the 2024 Academy Awards, where branding trumped protest and jeweled ornaments far outnumbered cease-fire pins.
—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Still, as the Russian demographer Anatoly Vishnevsky has argued, in the long term, demographics will always trump economics.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
Cy can then go to the king of spades, draw the missing trump with the queen and win the last three tricks with the ace of spades and high diamonds.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Doing good for others trumps doing for yourself alone as the moon and Jupiter harmonize.
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Declarer won in dummy and led the ace and nine of trumps.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
Tarot was just a trump card game first played by Europeans in the 1400s.
—Claire Salinda, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
South must maintain trump control in case of bad breaks.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
How on earth did the path of least resistance and keeping the trains on time trump safety, especially with the Olympics a mere five months away?
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024
West led a trump, and Cy drew trumps and cashed five hearts, pitching his low clubs.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
But submarines remain Russia’s trump card in naval combat; Moscow need only choose to play it.
—Mark Cancian, Foreign Affairs, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
Political candidates and those who seek to win higher office constantly toe the line between conformity and self-expression, the former usually trumps the latter.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
The team gets a stroke of luck in the early rounds, earning a bye when tournament favorites South Africa see their arrival delayed by passport issues, though there’s no prize for guessing that sportsmanship will trump gamesmanship in the long run.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
But the group calls the lawsuit ‘unfounded’ But Paxton’s efforts were halted Monday when a judge ruled that his administrative subpoena is trumped by Texas’ rules of civil procedure about discovery.
—Holly Yan, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
For the 2024-2025 school year, Tufts’ estimates of expenses for undergraduate programs reaches nearly $96,000, trumping Wellesley — which comes in at about $92,000.
—Zenebou Sylla, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
In that sense, the left has mirrored the populist style of the far right, in which personality trumps the traditional party machine.
—Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Learn which West Coast city trumps the old pizza standbys.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024
War, labor strikes and a thorny political season made scant inroads at the 2024 Academy Awards, where branding trumped protest and jeweled ornaments far outnumbered cease-fire pins.
—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Still, as the Russian demographer Anatoly Vishnevsky has argued, in the long term, demographics will always trump economics.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trump.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to trump
Dictionary Entries Near trump
Cite this Entry
“Trump.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trump. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trump
1 of 2 noun1
: a card of a suit any of whose cards will win over a card that is of a different suit
also
: the suit whose cards are trumps for a particular hand
—often used in plural
2
trump
2 of 2 verb1
: to take with a trump
trump another player's card
2
: to play a trump
3
: to get the better of : outdo
trumped her competitors
Biographical Definition
Trump
biographical name
Donald J(ohn) 1946– American businessman and politician; 45th president of the U.S. (2017–21)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share