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View synonyms for stump

stump

[ stuhmp ]

noun

  1. 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.
  2. the part of a limb of the body remaining after the rest has been cut off.
  3. a part of a broken or decayed tooth left in the gum.
  4. a short remnant, as of a candle; stub.
  5. any basal part remaining after the main or more important part has been removed.
  6. an artificial leg.
  7. Usually stumps. Informal. legs:

    Stir your stumps and get out of here.

  8. a short, stocky person.
  9. a heavy step or uneven gait.
  10. the figurative place of political speechmaking:

    to go on the stump.

  11. Furniture. a support for the front end of the arm of a chair, sofa, etc. Compare post 1( def 2 ).
  12. a short, thick roll of paper, soft leather, or some similar material, usually having a blunt point, for rubbing a pencil, charcoal, or crayon drawing in order to achieve subtle gradations of tone in representing light and shade.
  13. Cricket. each of the three upright sticks that, with the two bails laid on top of them, form a wicket.


verb (used with object)

  1. to reduce to a stump; truncate; lop.
  2. to clear of stumps, as land.
  3. Chiefly Southern U.S. to stub, as one's toe.
  4. to nonplus, embarrass, or render completely at a loss:

    This riddle stumps me.

  5. to challenge or dare to do something.
  6. to make political campaign speeches to or in:

    to stump a state.

  7. Cricket. (of the wicketkeeper) to put (a batsman) out by knocking down a stump or by dislodging a bail with the ball held in the hand at a moment when the batsman is off his ground.
  8. to tone or modify (a crayon drawing, pencil rendering, etc.) by means of a stump.

verb (used without object)

  1. to walk heavily or clumsily, as if with a wooden leg:

    The captain stumped across the deck.

  2. to make political campaign speeches; electioneer.

stump

/ stʌmp /

noun

  1. the base part of a tree trunk left standing after the tree has been felled or has fallen
  2. the part of something, such as a tooth, limb, or blade, that remains after a larger part has been removed
  3. informal.
    1. often plural a leg
    2. to move or become active
  4. cricket any of three upright wooden sticks that, with two bails laid across them, form a wicket (the stumps )
  5. Also calledtortillon a short sharply-pointed stick of cork or rolled paper or leather, used in drawing and shading
  6. a heavy tread or the sound of heavy footsteps
  7. a platform used by an orator when addressing a meeting
  8. often plural a pile used to support a house
  9. on the stump
    engaged in campaigning, esp by political speech-making
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to stop, confuse, or puzzle
  2. intr to plod or trudge heavily
  3. tr cricket (of a fielder, esp a wicketkeeper) to dismiss (a batsman) by breaking his wicket with the ball or with the ball in the hand while he is out of his crease
  4. to campaign or canvass (an area), esp by political speech-making
  5. tr to reduce to a stump; lop
  6. tr to clear (land) of stumps
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈstumper, noun
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Other Words From

  • stump·less adjective
  • stump·like adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of stump1

1200–50; (noun) Middle English stompe, cognate with or < Middle Low German stump ( e ), Middle Dutch stomp (compare German Stumpf ); (v.) Middle English stumpen to stumble (as over a stump), derivative of the noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of stump1

C14: from Middle Low German stump; related to Dutch stomp, German Stumpf; see stamp
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. up a stump, Informal. at a loss; embarrassed; perplexed:

    Sociologists are up a stump over the sharp rise in juvenile delinquency and crime.

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Example Sentences

They would bowl fuller, slower, at the stumps and often with the keeper standing up.

From BBC

Still, most actors are happy to decamp to Los Angeles and stump for their film for several months.

Uncapped Ollie Robinson has arrived as keeping cover, but England have opted to retain Pope behind the stumps and batting at number six, with 21-year-old Jacob Bethell remaining at number three.

From BBC

At the museum, two of her ceramic stumps, or armatures, sit several feet high, both a fleshy pink with streaks of white and red.

In that match Stokes suffered the indignity of being stumped with his bat in a different post code.

From BBC

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More About Stump

What does stump mean?

A stump is the base of a tree after the rest of the trunk has been cut down.

In general, stump can refer to what’s left of something after the main part or majority of it has been cut off or removed. The word stub means the same thing and is perhaps more commonly used.

When a person has had part of a limb removed, the remaining part is sometimes called a stump. A more technical term is residual limb. The word stump is also sometimes used to refer to a limb that has not fully developed. Though some people with limb differences may use the word stump to refer to their limb, others might find the word insensitive or offensive. In many cases, they may prefer for it to simply be called an arm, leg, or limb.

An artificial leg can also sometimes be called a stump. The word stumps is sometimes used as a slang term for the legs.

The word stump can refer to a platform for making speeches. This use isn’t common, but this sense of the word is commonly used in a figurative way to refer to the place where political campaign speeches are made, especially in the phrase on the stump, as in The senator went out on the stump to try to win re-election. A campaign speech can be called a stump speech. Stump can also be used as a verb meaning to campaign, as in He’s stumping in Iowa today or He has endorsed the senator and will be stumping for her.

As a verb, stump can also mean to confuse, puzzle, or perplex completely, as in The last question on the test really stumped me. When you are stumped in this way, you are usually at a loss—you don’t know the right answer and you might not even have a guess. Someone who is experiencing this puzzlement can be described as stumped. A question or problem that stumps can be called a stumper.

Example: The woodcutters chopped down all of the trees, leaving nothing but a field of stumps.

Where does stump come from?

The first records of the word stump come from the 1200s. The noun comes from the Middle Low German stump. The verb form comes from the Middle English stumpen, which means “to stumble (as over a tree stump)” and was derived from the noun.

While tree stumps are likely the first kind of stumps that come to mind, many other objects can be turned into stumps, such as nails, pencils, and erasers.

When used as a verb, stump usually means to confuse someone so badly that they can’t think of a single answer or solution. In everyday life, people are often stumped by difficult puzzles or complicated situations that may not even be possible to solve.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to stump?

What are some synonyms for stump?

What are some words that share a root or word element with stump

What are some words that often get used in discussing stump?

 

How is stump used in real life?

Stump most commonly refers to tree stumps. As a verb, it’s typically used informally.

 

 

Try using stump!

True or False?

When you cut down a tree, the stump is the big part that was cut off.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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