stump
noun
the lower end of a tree or plant left after the main part falls or is cut off; a standing tree trunk from which the upper part and branches have been removed.
had stumped
-
past perfectof stump.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
In recent months, both OpenAI and Anthropic have turned complex mathematics into an unusual form of marketing for their smartest models, trumpeting solutions to problems that had stumped humans for decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Last month, OpenAI announced that its latest version of ChatGPT had solved a major math problem, one that had stumped experts for 80 years.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026
Nick Nurse, hired last month as Philadelphia’s coach, had stumped for Harden’s return.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
At first, Bowman, a computer scientist at New York University, thought he had stumped the models.
From Science Magazine ● May 5, 2022
A thirty-something father of two, he badly wanted this job, but he had barely passed his other exams, and first aid had stumped him.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
