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
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
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
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
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
-
And after Paulsen’s five seasons in Washington, several of those Shanahan-tree coaches indeed shuffled Paulsen from building to building, staff to staff.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Backpacks borne and carry-ons in tow, travelers at Miami International Airport shuffled through serpentine security lines on Friday.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As the conversation turned to Haliburton, Antetokounmpo challenged Turner to say three nice things about his former All-Star point guard.—
Darnell Mayberry,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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They’ve been challenged in a competitive landscape as video and broadband customers defect Comcast is now trying hard to right the ship, with some promising signs in the third quarter numbers reported this morning.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
30 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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The actor infamously played Jeff, the hunky diner manager who dared to come between the show's endgame couple.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
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One man, Lawrence Bergreen, dared to step into the breach and write about Columbus in the way only historians of substance can.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As the latter stomped down the catwalk, Anok gave Gabbriette a makeshift haircut.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Stumped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumped. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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