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

What is clear is that the Angels got back some chump change for the four players claimed today but the cost in prospects to acquire them might be immeasurable.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 31, 2023

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

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2023

“But with that....Ohhh yeah, with that, I could rewrite my own story. You went from chump to champ. Imagine what I could become. The legends. The history! It’s the only way,” he said.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia