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
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Recent Examples of stumped
The unit earned two turnovers, stumped the Seahawks on their only attempt on fourth down and only allowed 289 total yards.
—
Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez, Charlotte Observer, 29 Dec. 2025
His winning streak came to an end during game five on July 8, when the final Jeopardy question about the Kennedy Center stumped all three contestants.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
Now Takaichi, who took office after winning an election in October, is inheriting a decades-old problem that stumped her predecessors – and hoping to be the one to solve it.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
For years local and federal investigators were stumped by who had sent the letters and were unable to prevent the onslaught of threats for more than a decade.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
House Speaker Mike Johnson stumped for Neimeyer in 2024, and the National Republican Congressional Committee has put the district on its list of 26 seats to target in 2026.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 26 Aug. 2025
Thinking it over, the thing that stumped me was, what would 1/6 of a buck look like roaming through the woods?
—Chester Chatfield, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2025
The debate has stumped some lawmakers, unsure about antifa’s physical framework, while spurring others to want to unmask these militants engaged in high-level, and sometimes large-scale, coordinated efforts.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez, Charlotte Observer, 29 Dec. 2025
His winning streak came to an end during game five on July 8, when the final Jeopardy question about the Kennedy Center stumped all three contestants.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
Now Takaichi, who took office after winning an election in October, is inheriting a decades-old problem that stumped her predecessors – and hoping to be the one to solve it.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
For years local and federal investigators were stumped by who had sent the letters and were unable to prevent the onslaught of threats for more than a decade.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
House Speaker Mike Johnson stumped for Neimeyer in 2024, and the National Republican Congressional Committee has put the district on its list of 26 seats to target in 2026.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 26 Aug. 2025
Thinking it over, the thing that stumped me was, what would 1/6 of a buck look like roaming through the woods?
—Chester Chatfield, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2025
The debate has stumped some lawmakers, unsure about antifa’s physical framework, while spurring others to want to unmask these militants engaged in high-level, and sometimes large-scale, coordinated efforts.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumped
Verb
-
Empty boxes were stacked along a side wall in the locker room as players shuffled in and out to pack up a season’s worth of shirts and jerseys and cleats and memorabilia.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
First, the sophomore shuffled back into coverage after showing A-gap pressure to intercept a Bryce Underwood pass over the middle of the field, ending a key fourth-quarter drive.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Avs challenged for offsides, and the goal was taken off the board.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The 90-minute delay challenged everyone in the arena to find ways to kill time.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That was until about a month before Adams' wedding, when her mother, April, stumbled upon the outfit while cleaning out some boxes in storage.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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Nick Woltemade came on, stumbled over his own feet and struggled for involvement.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, officials engaged in a vicious crusade to repress whoever dared challenge the outcome.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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As much as his ability to land the inconceivable, Malinin’s great strength has always been the imagination and courage to take his skating to places few even considered, let alone dared to reach for.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
Tony Aiello,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The disarmingly handsome comic adopted the delivery of a smarmy newsman and deadpanned a joke about the hatching of a baby sandpiper, a triumph for the zoo where it was born, until the bird was stomped to death by a baby hippo born a day earlier.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumped. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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