1
as in shuffling
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in daring
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 stumping
But one skin dilemma that’s stumping even me is why everyone thinks their skin looks so dull right now.
—
Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29, 20 Jan. 2026
After successfully stumping Consuelos with a bit of trivia of her own, a contestant named Rachel was then tasked with answering a question about recent Live guest and Virgin River actress Alexandra Breckenridge.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
Others like Taylor Swift, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jane Fonda offered simple endorsements without stumping for the vice president.
—Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
Elsewhere, Donald Washberg is stumping dressed like Will Rogers at the Ziegfeld Follies.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
With a national fundraising blitz in full swing and Election Day just around the corner, Democrats stumping for Proposition 50 have far out-raised and out-spent their opponents — even though a California megadonor with Republican ties single-handedly spent $30 million to defeat it.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
There is such a gap between the sides that Phil Mickelson is out here stumping for Mike Krzyzewski and 88-year-old Lou Holtz.
—Hugh Kellenberger, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The caller won a prize by stumping the cast.
—Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2025
Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29, 20 Jan. 2026
After successfully stumping Consuelos with a bit of trivia of her own, a contestant named Rachel was then tasked with answering a question about recent Live guest and Virgin River actress Alexandra Breckenridge.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
Others like Taylor Swift, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jane Fonda offered simple endorsements without stumping for the vice president.
—Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
Elsewhere, Donald Washberg is stumping dressed like Will Rogers at the Ziegfeld Follies.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
With a national fundraising blitz in full swing and Election Day just around the corner, Democrats stumping for Proposition 50 have far out-raised and out-spent their opponents — even though a California megadonor with Republican ties single-handedly spent $30 million to defeat it.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
There is such a gap between the sides that Phil Mickelson is out here stumping for Mike Krzyzewski and 88-year-old Lou Holtz.
—Hugh Kellenberger, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The caller won a prize by stumping the cast.
—Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumping
Verb
-
The shuffling sound quickened and the puzzlers’ hands sped up.—
Lia Picard,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Some line shuffling by Warsofsky worked.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With their daring ascent of Mont Blanc, recreational mountaineering was born.—
Sergei Poljak,
Outside,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Also performing in Sunrise is Malinin, 21, a powerhouse figure skating competitor known for daring quadruple axel and backflips on ice.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The man then tripped, stumbling to the ground.—
Andrew Adeolu,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
How Species Actually Get Discovered Now The popular image of species discovery involves an explorer stumbling across a strange creature in an untouched jungle.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Artificial intelligence systems do not possess human intelligence and therefore should not be granted rights or protections reserved for people, as evidenced by the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear a case challenging the requirement that copyrightable works must have human authorship.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The judiciary, meanwhile, has taken itself largely out of the picture, limiting the legal avenues available for challenging the president’s use of force.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
So, let’s circle back to the original question on stomping.—
Adam Cohen,
Oklahoman,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The goal will change depending on the game — whether that’s collecting tokens, moving pieces on a board, stomping Goombas, or putting a ball in a hoop hanging 10 feet above the ground.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumping. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
