Synonyms of stumped

stumped

verb

past tense of stump

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

• shuffled
• stumbled
• stomped
• barged
• floundered
• weaved
• stamped
• lurched
• trudged
• clumped
• sloughed
• lumped
• hauled
• dragged
• shambled
• tramped
• scuffled
• scuffed
• pounded
• plodded
• lumbered
• staggered
• slogged
• galumphed
• flogged
• flopped
• tromped
• swayed
• blundered
• reeled
• waddled
• tottered
• wobbled
• doddered
• careened
• teetered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slid
• whisked
• glided
• floated
• hung
• drifted
• hovered
• waltzed
• coasted
• breezed
• poised
• wafted

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

• challenged
• dared
• confronted
• defied
• faced
• braved
• bearded
• brazened
• outfaced
• outbraved
• breasted

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stumped

In the last few weeks, a few key figures trusted by the president have stumped for such an incentive. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026

Trump had stumped for Fry in his first House campaign in 2022, when the state lawmaker ousted a five-term GOP congressman who had voted to impeach Trump a year earlier. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Payton has stumped for Shanahan to be in the Hall of Fame and said there’s frustration with the difficulty of getting coaches enshrined the past couple of years. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2026

Abbott has stumped on the promise of property tax relief and empowering taxpayers. — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026

The story opens in the 1960s, during a long communication gap, as a group of MIT graduate students sets out to solve a proof that stumped the greatest minds of the previous generation (including Albert Einstein). — Alexandra Oliva, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026

Tatis’ power outage at age 27 has stumped the baseball world. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2026

In an interview, Rabb easily answered the question that had stumped Stanford. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 18 May 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