1
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily
the seemingly endless parade finally ended, and the drummers and tuba players stumped wearily to their buses
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in challenged
to invite (someone) to take part in a contest or to perform a feat
when my grandfather was a kid, he and his friends would stump one another to dive into the local swimming hole
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumped
In an interview, Rabb easily answered the question that had stumped Stanford.
—
David Weigel, semafor.com, 18 May 2026
Streep then did her impersonation of De Niro apparently stumped by a question.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
How many voters have diligently studied candidates and ballot initiatives prior to election day, only to be stumped by a sometimes excruciatingly long list of unfamiliar names of people trying to get or retain jobs as judges?
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
The question stumped them, but only to some extent.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Still, managers might be stumped by a request to put on high school hoops or a sailing competition.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026
The next question, about picadillo, stumped the Oscar nominee.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
But Waddle’s situation, in January 2021, stumped him.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
On Thursday, Pritzker stumped for her with a series of appearances at senior living centers on Chicago's South Side.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
David Weigel, semafor.com, 18 May 2026
Streep then did her impersonation of De Niro apparently stumped by a question.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
How many voters have diligently studied candidates and ballot initiatives prior to election day, only to be stumped by a sometimes excruciatingly long list of unfamiliar names of people trying to get or retain jobs as judges?
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
The question stumped them, but only to some extent.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Still, managers might be stumped by a request to put on high school hoops or a sailing competition.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026
The next question, about picadillo, stumped the Oscar nominee.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
But Waddle’s situation, in January 2021, stumped him.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
On Thursday, Pritzker stumped for her with a series of appearances at senior living centers on Chicago's South Side.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumped
Verb
-
In the years that followed, American landscape painting was shuffled off to storage to make room for modernism, and paintings like Church’s, with their glassy finishes and profuse detail, came to seem the embodiment of fuddy-duddy.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
The singer-songwriter shuffled songs on her phone, not having any idea what might pop up.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Even after his death a decade later, his family kept pushing for a new hearing, which was repeatedly challenged by prosecutors in all three levels of court.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
Incumbent Jared Moskowitz, whose district was splintered by redistricting, is being challenged by progressive candidate Oliver Larkin in the August primary.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Weiss, best known for her work as an opinion journalist and the launch of her site The Free Press, has stumbled in her new role in large part due to a lack of experience with TV operations.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
9 June 2026
-
In the fall of 1995, hunters stumbled on Josette’s bones in the woods near rural Carmel, an hour north of the Bronx.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The paddock that no one had dared to demolish.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
-
Someone else dared someone else to be a legend.—
Thomas Lake,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The emphasis on winning to keep kids signed up and continue making money has stomped creativity out of American players, who are encouraged to play safely to ensure results instead of developing a players’ feel for the game.—
Andy Yamashita,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2026
-
Evidence presented at trial showed Wallace threw the victim to the ground, repeatedly punched and stomped him, and searched his pockets before taking his wallet and other belongings, the DA’s office said.—
Bay City News Service,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumped. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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