chump

¹ American  

[chuhmp] / tʃʌmp /

noun

• chumps
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• chumpishness
  noun
• chumpish
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chumps
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chump chumps

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 that’s chump change, if such a thing can be said of seven-figure purses, compared to the $20-million Saudi Cup and $12-million Dubai World Cup.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2024

"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

It’s emphatically true that if you cast these norms in that light, you begin to look like a chump.

From Slate ● Jun. 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

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

Around the same time, I convinced my friend Sam that we couldn’t be just another pair of chumps at our parents’ offices on Career Day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024

Forget your “fair share”! Fair share is for chumps and losers.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 25, 2023

In a 24-17 homecoming loss to UCLA, the Huskies looked like champions, but played like chumps.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2021

Most ordinary whisky drinkers are “brand” chumps like this.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey