1
a
: the upper rounded part of the hindquarters of a quadruped mammal
b
c
: the sacral or dorsal part of the posterior end of a bird
2
: a cut of meat (such as beef) between the loin and round see beef illustration
3
: a small or inferior remnant or offshoot
especially : a group (such as a parliament) carrying on in the name of the original body after the departure or expulsion of a large number of its members

Examples of rump in a Sentence

I slipped and fell on my rump. she plopped down on her rump to listen to the campfire story
Recent Examples on the Web Though Meadows’s rump faction was too small to oust Boehner by a majority vote, the speaker decided that four years of intransigence from the right was sufficient and resigned that fall. Robert Draper, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Was this one of the hens that had pecked my hand or plucked feathers from the pink rump of another? Hazlitt, 14 Feb. 2024 The rogue rump of the GOP which supports him is persistently trying to derail vital aid to Ukraine. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 12 Feb. 2024 Understanding Cuts Of Ham Rump, Butt, Or Sirloin The rump or sirloin end comes from the upper portion of the leg. Patricia S York, Southern Living, 27 Jan. 2024 Bull elk antlers consist of a long, sweeping main beam that arches over the bull’s back and toward its rump. Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 28 Sep. 2023 Vision's android rump was lovingly sculpted by the prop department. EW.com, 26 Oct. 2023 The Italian Social Movement, or MSI, the party in which the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni started her political career, has roots that go back to Salò, the rump state that tried to keep the flame of fascism alive in the last years of the Second World War. Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 11 Dec. 2023 Over the course of the war, however, Russia has captured large swaths of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine, and there is growing evidence that Putin now intends to annex all or most of that land, which would effectively turn what is left of Ukraine into a dysfunctional rump state. John J. Mearsheimer, Foreign Affairs, 17 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rump.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish rumpe rump; akin to Middle High German rumph torso

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of rump was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near rump

Cite this Entry

“Rump.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rump. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rump

noun
1
a
: upper rounded part of the hindquarters of a 4-legged animal
2
: a cut of beef between the loin and round

Medical Definition

rump

noun
1
: the upper rounded part of the hindquarters of a quadruped mammal
2
: the seat of the body : buttocks

More from Merriam-Webster on rump

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