1
as in shuffles
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 dares
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 stumps
Olivia Young, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
During the day, the birds lie motionless on the ground, blending into piles of leaves and tree stumps to hide from predators.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Firefighters working the site of the Lachman Fire were ordered to leave the original burn scene despite tree stumps there being hot to the touch, according to a review of firefighter text messages by the Los Angeles Times last October.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
In the forest, stumps become nurse logs that feed fungi and other key players in the biome.
—Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2025
This approach addresses the transparent bottle problem that stumps traditional systems.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
For more than two months, a helicopter has been hard at work removing dead trees and stumps from the reservoir using a special device.
—Olivia Young, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
During the day, the birds lie motionless on the ground, blending into piles of leaves and tree stumps to hide from predators.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Firefighters working the site of the Lachman Fire were ordered to leave the original burn scene despite tree stumps there being hot to the touch, according to a review of firefighter text messages by the Los Angeles Times last October.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
In the forest, stumps become nurse logs that feed fungi and other key players in the biome.
—Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2025
This approach addresses the transparent bottle problem that stumps traditional systems.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumps
Verb
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
That is not unique — Major League Baseball’s offseason shuffles along at a deliberate pace, just as the Dodgers historically have liked.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Is anything more engaging than a good murder mystery—one that dares you to guess who did it, and why?—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
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And anyone who dares to peek behind the curtain—journalists, dissident professors, activists, even, bizarrely, the Iranian president himself—becomes a threat to the regime.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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After trauma, the brain needs experiences of delight and safety to rewire the residues of fear.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Synthetic fibers won’t break down in the compost bin, and dryer sheets and fabric softeners leave harmful residues behind.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As skyscrapers towered over them, their cheers, chants and stomps wove through downtown Dallas.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Idris the Valentine’s cow stomps in the footsteps of Squishmallows’ viral strawberry cow and the subsequent bestselling blueberry cow.—
Jacquelyn Smith,
Parents,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pippa challenges Wrigley on why the guys never hold Stephen accountable.—
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
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In the video, one Palestinian insults Levi and another challenges him to shoot.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jaelin Kauff is easily through after her quarterfinal opponent Anastassiya Gordodko stumbles.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
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The expressive and excitable young girl stumbles along, while the wary grown-up remains controlled and refined — even though both are completely lost.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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However, sometimes the abnormal IgA (the antibody that clumps up and causes problems) does run in families.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
15 Jan. 2026
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Cocoa powder often clumps in its container.—
Erin Merhar,
Southern Living,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
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By inertia, some vestiges remain of the awful weeks in 2022 when enemy forces stood at the edge of Kyiv.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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Here, at what may be one of the last vestiges of the true dude ranch, Saturday nights are for group cookouts, guests are encouraged to wear vests to dinner, and horses are central to the entire experience.—
Asonta Benetti,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumps. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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