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

"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

While that’s chump change for top men’s players, it’s a massive step forward in women’s soccer, where the jump in salaries has been fueled by widespread popularity for the game and its players.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2023

“Throw him the off-speed stuff! This chump couldn’t hit a changeup even if you told him it’s coming!”

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison