chump

¹ American  

[chuhmp] / tʃʌmp /

noun

1. Informal. a stupid person; dolt.

   Don't be a chump—she's kidding you along.

2. a short, thick piece of wood.

3. the thick, blunt end of anything.

4. Slang. the head.

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idioms

1. off one's chump, crazy.

chump ² American  

[chuhmp] / tʃʌmp /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to bite or chew; munch.

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chump ¹ British  

/ tʃʌmp /

noun

1. informal a stupid person

2. a thick heavy block of wood

3. 1. the thick blunt end of anything, esp of a piece of meat

   2. ( as modifier )

      a chump chop

4. slang the head (esp in the phrase off one's chump )

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chump ² British  

/ tʃʌmp /

verb

1. a less common word for chomp

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Other Word Forms

• chumpish adjective
• chumpishness noun

Etymology

Origin of chump¹

1695–1705; perhaps blend of chunk ¹ and lump ¹

Origin of chump²

First recorded in 1850–55; variant of champ ¹

Example Sentences

But everyone surely found out immediately after the fact, making her look like a total chump for having just given a sweeping address as the supposed head of homeland security.

From Slate • Mar. 5, 2026

Of course, $75 million is chump change for Amazon, which makes hundreds of billion dollars in revenue a year from both its online sales and Amazon Web Services cloud unit.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

But when it came to getting paid, most interventionists Padilla knew were lucky to earn $40,000 in a year before taxes — chump change by L.A. standards.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2024

Cowen thinks somebody's career might be ruined there on Sunday, from champion-elect to chump for all time.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2023

I didn’t want him to think I was a chump, like I didn’t know the bird.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt