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• Trump
  Trump

  noun

  Donald J(ohn), born 1946, 45th president of the United States 2017–21.

trump

¹ American  

[truhmp] / trʌmp /

noun

1. Cards.

   1. any playing card of a suit that for the time outranks the other suits, such a card being able to take any card of another suit.

   2. (used with a singular verb) Often trumps the suit itself.

2. Informal: Older Use. a fine, admirable person.

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verb (used with object)

1. Cards. to take with a trump.

2. to excel; surpass; outdo.

verb (used without object)

1. Cards.

   1. to play a trump.

   2. to take a trick with a trump.

verb phrase

1. trump up to devise deceitfully or dishonestly, as an accusation; fabricate.

   Try as they might, they were unable to trump up a convincing case against him.

trump ² American  

[truhmp] / trʌmp /

noun

1. a trumpet.

2. the sound of a trumpet.

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verb (used without object)

1. to blow a trumpet.

Trump ³ American  

[truhmp] / trʌmp /

noun

1. Donald J(ohn), born 1946, 45th president of the United States 2017–21.

2. Melania Melanija Knavs, born 1970, U.S. First Lady 2017–21 (wife of Donald J. Trump).

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trump ¹ British  

/ trʌmp /

noun

1. Also called: trump card.

   1. any card from the suit chosen as trumps

   2. this suit itself; trumps

2. Also called: trump card. a decisive or advantageous move, resource, action, etc

3. informal a fine or reliable person

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verb

1. to play a trump card on (a suit, or a particular card of a suit, that is not trumps)

2. (tr) to outdo or surpass

trump ² British  

/ trʌmp /

noun

1. a trumpet or the sound produced by one

2. the final trumpet call that according to the belief of some will awaken and raise the dead on the Day of Judgment

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verb

1. (intr) to produce a sound upon or as if upon the trumpet

2. (tr) to proclaim or announce with or as if with a fanfare

3. slang (intr) to expel intestinal gas through the anus

trump Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing trump

• hold all the aces (trumps)
• turn up trumps

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Other Word Forms

• trumpless
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of trump¹

First recorded in 1520–30; unexplained variant of triumph

Origin of trump²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun tromp(e), troump, from Old French tromp(e), tronpe; probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German trumpa, Old Norse trumba “trumpet”

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Explanation

To trump is to outrank or defeat someone or something, often in a highly public way. Safety might trump appearance when you're buying a car, or your desires may trump your brother's when it comes to making weekend plans. In the card game bridge, the trump card is the most powerful card in a particular round and defeats all the others — sort of like when your needs or wishes trump someone else's. Originally trump implied a deceptive form of victory involving cheating, but that sense has been largely lost, though it's still around in the term trumped up, meaning something that's been falsely made up. A politician may face trumped up charges that could ruin his career.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trump Trump

For working-class voters, including women, class can trump gender as the determining factor behind a vote.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

The paper playfully suggests the US president played his "trump card" when he spoke with Fifa president Gianni Infantino to review Balogun's ban.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

The league already ceded its regular season to the offseason, leaning into free agency drama as a driving source of year-round intrigue, letting team-building trump teamwork.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

Mr. Xi has studied the President and thinks he has trump cards on minerals and pharmaceuticals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

For every object of desire, another will soon come along to trump it, fueling aspirations even more.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Trump said in an interview with CNN Sunday that further U.S. strikes on Iran were highly unlikely as long as negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz made progress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

“You’d talk to him and he’d get down to it. ... A lot of people like him,” said Arthur Rodriguez, a 75-year-old retiree who worked at an ice cream plant and supports Trump.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

US President Donald Trump cast doubt on renewed fighting with Iran, telling CNN it was "highly unlikely," ahead of a meeting with mediator Qatar's prime minister on Monday.

From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026

Trump said he had not spoken to the Nvidia boss since news of the investigation emerged.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

Barack and I walked out of the White House for the last time on January 20, 2017, accompanying Donald and Melania Trump to the inauguration ceremony.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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Related Words

• outdo
• overtake

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