STUMPED Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

stumped

verb

past tense of stump

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stumped 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 As the campaign took shape, Crockett stumped in urban areas, trying to awaken and broaden the base; more than a million Texas Democrats who voted in 2020 stayed home in 2024. —

Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026 Continue reading … POLITICS 'CIVICS LESSON’ — Republican shocked after anti-ICE sheriff stumped by basic government question. —

FOXNews.com, 11 Feb. 2026 Still, Orlando at times this season has fallen away from its defensive identity, which in turn has stumped its offensive output. —

Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumped

Verb

For weeks, Isaiah Mosley shuffled into the morning chaos of the Miami criminal courthouse.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Born from the embers of the eighties band Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, led by the singer and guitarist Amelia Fletcher, shuffled forward with her riffy, effervescent playing style, gradually growing more sophisticated across four LPs and an EP, without any loss of buoyancy.

— Hilton Als, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026