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
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
His case had stumped his doctors.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 20 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
Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 26 Aug. 2025
His case had stumped his doctors.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 20 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
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The most interesting part about this week two lineup is seeing how the songs shuffled around a bit.—
Katie Atkinson,
Billboard,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The doctor grunted, shuffled off.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Changes to the regulatory framework and fleet incentives further challenged the business, Barra also said.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Florida compact was quickly challenged by West Flagler Associates, a company that owns casinos and racetracks in Florida.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But even on a night where Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards scored 31, no one was better than Dončić, who only stumbled when the Lakers tried to get him to 50 points.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Abdi stumbled, and only kept himself upright by leaning with both hands on his cane.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow dared to wear them with formal clothes back then, a forward-looking approach that’s now used all the time on catwalks and in street-style looks.—
Renata Joffre,
Glamour,
19 Oct. 2025
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In Kenya, President William Ruto, facing increasing pressure to resign, dared his critics to oust him from office before the next elections in 2027.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At Stella McCartney, a pair of slouchy patent leather square-toe boots stomped down the catwalk.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
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When Empower Field hosted the CONCACAF Nations League final between the United States and Mexico in 2021, the building stomped and shook like a Saturday at College Station, Texas, or Madison, Wis.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumped. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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