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
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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
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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
-
Even when the locals lost faith, Villa remained focused, forever shuffling side to side and defending with the same urgency.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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Go on a street food tour Street food tours are great things to do in Sicily and a fabulous alternative to hours of shuffling through museums.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The trailer promises traditional silly antics, like Gonzo’s daring stunts and Beaker’s dysfunctional science experiments, and musical performances.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Sure, the Enterprise-D’s daring mission to rescue Jean-Luc Picard from the Borg, and Michael Burnham leading Discovery to the 32nd century are the kind of Alpha Quadrant-changing events that grab headlines, but even 60-year-old multimedia franchises need to take it easy from time to time.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These are just some of the most prominent, powerful bootlickers stumbling right now on their own deceit and desperation.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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The Russians had made a mistake, with Sikharulidze stumbling out of a double axel.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And then to not be able to get folks in is challenging.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
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These conditions can make driving challenging, so exercise extreme caution on the road, and if possible, consider delaying your trip.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Han will be posted up by the Milennium Falcon and/or Oga’s Cantina, Luke will be stomping his Chanel boots in the marketplace, and Darth Vader will be force-choking dads in Grumpy tees.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2026
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Then there’s the people watching, from the tailgating to the communal divot stomping, full of dramatic sun dresses and hats with flourishes, seersucker suits and, yes, hats with flourishes.—
Eric Barton,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumping. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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