stumped

American  

[stuhmpt] / stʌmpt /

adjective

1. completely at a loss; perplexed or nonplussed.

   The stumped officer could only stare at the strange object, trying to figure out what it might be.

2. reduced to a stump; truncated; lopped.

   Bowser was a small dog with a stumped tail.

   These hills are in fact the stumped remains of mountains millions of years old.

3. Chiefly Southern U.S. stubbed, as one’s toe.

   At the talk, someone in the audience joked, "A stumped toe is all I need as proof that matter is real!"

4. cleared of stumps.

   It was looking more and more impossible to get the recently cleared and stumped field ready for planting by April 26.

5. (of a crayon drawing, pencil rendering, etc.) toned or modified by means of a stump, a blunt-tipped tool made of tightly rolled paper, leather, etc..

   A stumped drawing by Willem de Kooning, almost rubbed out, inspired our interest in the process of reproduction.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of stump.

Other Word Forms

• unstumped
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of stumped

First recorded in 1595–1605; 1840–45 stumped for def. 3; stump ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; stump ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura was sitting at a chess board in Cyprus last week feeling absolutely stumped.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

In 2024, she revealed that, after she’d spent more than $70,000 on treatments, doctors were still stumped by what could be causing her facial disfigurement, though some suggested it could be because of a parasite.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

The thorny issue of what to do with Russian assets has not only stumped Western leaders but also officials in Berlin who are saddled with three crumbling buildings belonging to Moscow.

From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026

But when Samuel was stumped by Rew off the bowling of left-arm spinner Ralphie Albert it opened the door for England.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

We were both silent, stumped for a minute because yeah, Sandy June’s was definitely a special place, but was it . . . magical?

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith