chump
1 Americannoun
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Informal. a stupid person; dolt.
Don't be a chump—she's kidding you along.
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a short, thick piece of wood.
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the thick, blunt end of anything.
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Slang. the head.
idioms
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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informal a stupid person
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a thick heavy block of wood
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the thick blunt end of anything, esp of a piece of meat
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( as modifier )
a chump chop
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slang the head (esp in the phrase off one's chump )
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Explanation
A chump is a sucker or a fool — someone who is very gullible. If a con artist cheats you out of money, you may end up feeling like a chump. Chump is a very informal word for someone who falls for every trick and scheme, or who believes everything you tell them. If you get an email from an African prince asking for your bank account information so he can give you a lot of money, and you respond excitedly, ready to collect the cash, you're a chump. This meaning of chump first appeared in the 1880s — earlier, the word meant "short, thick piece of wood."
Vocabulary lists containing chump
Ghost
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"The Mixer," Vocabulary from the short story
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Okay for Now
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That’s not chump change — and it could require pulling back on discretionary spending such as dining out or travel, or redirecting any future raises, bonuses or tax refunds toward your retirement fund.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
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
I feel like we could whip up a Colin-Sings go fund me that would make Bargatze’s 100 grand look like chump change.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2025
"I’m the chump who thought social media could change the world," he told his audience at the Digital Futures Institute.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2024
He was chubby and pale, and the other instructors didn’t seem to respect him much; driving the bus was, apparently, a chump job.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Jack Milne, heroic at the heart of an Aberdeen defence that performed a miraculous metamorphosis from mistake-ridden chumps to hugely resilient champs.
From BBC ● May 24, 2025
“Detroiters are not scaredy cats. We’re not chumps, we’re not to be picked on,” said Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
Forget your “fair share”! Fair share is for chumps and losers.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 25, 2023
The former Gladiators who felt exploited by the show don’t want to be seen as chumps.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2023
Plus he was taller than most of us, so he treated everybody like chumps.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
