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
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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
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Recent Examples of stumps
Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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
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Gakpo is deeper, and Wirtz pushes forward as the central member of Liverpool’s forward line, while Ekitike shuffles across as the left of the trio.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Because global air travel shuffles millions of people around the world daily, an outbreak of a very contagious disease anywhere can become a threat everywhere.—
Amy E. Stambach,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Yet no less worthy are the moments of self-correction, when a thinker dares to undo what once seemed certain.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The commentary on how responsibilities take over our lives, forcing us to dismiss what’s truly valuable, never dares to substantially poke at the reasons why this occurs, such as economic inequality, lack of opportunities and corporate greed.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Generated when biomass, such as crop residues, wood, or other organic matter, is heated to produce clean energy, bio-tar can clog pipelines, corrode equipment, and release harmful compounds into the atmosphere if not managed carefully.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Dish soap cuts through oily residues and lifts dirt without scratching or harming surfaces.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bonnie stomps off in anger, but the Guinness boys are confident that things will work out.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The guy just f****** stomps right on my face.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Through powerful and provocative imagery, Lurie’s work challenges viewers to confront the human cost of hatred, genocide, and loss, while illuminating the resilience of the creative spirit.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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This evidence challenges the known fact regarding how nothosaurs swam.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But there have been some career stumbles recently, a superhero disappointment in particular, that must have complicated Johnson’s conception of his remarkable career.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
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Wallen then stumbles to his feet in the middle of the road, as rain pours down, with close-up images showing Wallen in tattered clothes and covered in scrapes and cuts.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The alum then clumps the smaller, suspended fats together for easy removal.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Crafted nearly a century ago, the home is filled with eye-catching vestiges of the past alongside modern upgrades.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
8 Sep. 2025
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The tracks, gun-barrel straight, are some of the only working vestiges of the Cape-to-Cairo railway, the 19th century British imperial boondoggle that aimed to tie the continent together from Egypt to South Africa.—
The Editors,
Outside,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumps. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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