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• Trump
  Trump

  noun

  Donald J(ohn), born 1946, 45th president of the United States 2017–21.

trump

¹ American  

[truhmp] / trʌmp /

noun

1. Cards.

   1. any playing card of a suit that for the time outranks the other suits, such a card being able to take any card of another suit.

   2. (used with a singular verb) Often trumps the suit itself.

2. Informal: Older Use. a fine, admirable person.

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verb (used with object)

1. Cards. to take with a trump.

2. to excel; surpass; outdo.

verb (used without object)

1. Cards.

   1. to play a trump.

   2. to take a trick with a trump.

verb phrase

1. trump up to devise deceitfully or dishonestly, as an accusation; fabricate.

   Try as they might, they were unable to trump up a convincing case against him.

trump ² American  

[truhmp] / trʌmp /

noun

1. a trumpet.

2. the sound of a trumpet.

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verb (used without object)

1. to blow a trumpet.

Trump ³ American  

[truhmp] / trʌmp /

noun

1. Donald J(ohn), born 1946, 45th president of the United States 2017–21.

2. Melania Melanija Knavs, born 1970, U.S. First Lady 2017–21 (wife of Donald J. Trump).

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trump ¹ British  

/ trʌmp /

noun

1. Also called: trump card. 

   1. any card from the suit chosen as trumps

   2. this suit itself; trumps

2. Also called: trump card.  a decisive or advantageous move, resource, action, etc

3. informal a fine or reliable person

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verb

1. to play a trump card on (a suit, or a particular card of a suit, that is not trumps)

2. (tr) to outdo or surpass

trump ² British  

/ trʌmp /

noun

1. a trumpet or the sound produced by one

2. the final trumpet call that according to the belief of some will awaken and raise the dead on the Day of Judgment

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verb

1. (intr) to produce a sound upon or as if upon the trumpet

2. (tr) to proclaim or announce with or as if with a fanfare

3. slang (intr) to expel intestinal gas through the anus

trump Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing trump

• hold all the aces (trumps)
• turn up trumps

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Other Word Forms

• trumpless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of trump¹

First recorded in 1520–30; unexplained variant of triumph

Origin of trump²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun tromp(e), troump, from Old French tromp(e), tronpe; probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German trumpa, Old Norse trumba “trumpet”

Explanation

To trump is to outrank or defeat someone or something, often in a highly public way. Safety might trump appearance when you're buying a car, or your desires may trump your brother's when it comes to making weekend plans. In the card game bridge, the trump card is the most powerful card in a particular round and defeats all the others — sort of like when your needs or wishes trump someone else's. Originally trump implied a deceptive form of victory involving cheating, but that sense has been largely lost, though it's still around in the term trumped up, meaning something that's been falsely made up. A politician may face trumped up charges that could ruin his career.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trump Trump

As Kahneman loved to say, “Stories trump statistics.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Or do the feelings of his Leave constituency, Makerfield, trump all?

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

The league already ceded its regular season to the offseason, leaning into free agency drama as a driving source of year-round intrigue, letting team-building trump teamwork.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

And city ordinances don’t trump First Amendment rights.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

“You think you mean anything to them? They are all going to die eventually. You are letting your emotions trump your power.”

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Trump has referred to the 504-acre property that he purchased in 2002 as his Summer White House, and he frequently decamps there for the weekends when it is too hot in Palm Beach, Fla.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Asked Friday about a successor to Leavitt, the youngest person ever to hold the position of White House press secretary, Trump said he had "never had so many job applications in my life."

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Ed Russo, who represented the Trump Organization, told the land board the property gets too crowded on holidays like Mother’s Day when many of the members want to bring their families to the club.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Trump, 80, is expected to take a ceremonial lap of honor in his armored limousine dubbed "The Beast" and then wave the green flag to start the race.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

“And how you plan on getting rich, Mr. Trump? You think you could catch that many fish?”

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

Related Words

• outdo
• overtake