stump
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.
the part of a limb of the body remaining after the rest has been cut off.
a part of a broken or decayed tooth left in the gum.
a short remnant, as of a candle; stub.
any basal part remaining after the main or more important part has been removed.
an artificial leg.
Usually stumps. Informal. legs: Stir your stumps and get out of here.
a short, stocky person.
a heavy step or uneven gait.
the figurative place of political speechmaking: to go on the stump.
Furniture. a support for the front end of the arm of a chair, sofa, etc.: Compare post1 (def. 2).
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.
Cricket. each of the three upright sticks that, with the two bails laid on top of them, form a wicket.
to reduce to a stump; truncate; lop.
to clear of stumps, as land.
Chiefly Southern U.S. to stub, as one's toe.
to nonplus, embarrass, or render completely at a loss:This riddle stumps me.
to challenge or dare to do something.
to make political campaign speeches to or in: to stump a state.
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.
to tone or modify (a crayon drawing, pencil rendering, etc.) by means of a stump.
to walk heavily or clumsily, as if with a wooden leg: The captain stumped across the deck.
to make political campaign speeches; electioneer.
Idioms about stump
up a stump, Informal. at a loss; embarrassed; perplexed: Sociologists are up a stump over the sharp rise in juvenile delinquency and crime.
Origin of stump
1Other words from stump
- stump·less, adjective
- stump·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use stump in a sentence
Warren will probably be out there all right—stumping for Hillary, not against her.
Yes, Pundits, Hillary Has the 2016 Nomination in the Bag | Robert Shrum | February 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe best illustrates this skill when stumping on behalf of divorced fathers.
Soon after he was seen stumping for the Assad regime in his ancestor's conflagrated homeland.
Abdel el-Zabayar: From Parliament to the Frontlines | Mac Margolis | September 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTExcept that she comes under a brutal assault led by John McCain, whose wrath she earned while stumping for Obama in 2008.
The candidate, a long shot at the time, seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time stumping in Iowa before the caucuses.
Obama’s Second-Term Surprise: Politics Not As Usual | James Warren | November 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
And, with pleased puckers at the corners of his eyes, Mr. Felsburg turned away and went stumping out.
Those Times And These | Irvin S. CobbA ponderous man came stumping down the sidewalk, swinging his shoulders.
Blow The Man Down | Holman DayHe strode toward Captain Wass when the old mariner came stumping down the companionway.
Blow The Man Down | Holman DayMr. Simeon once said of him, “All of us are going stumping along on the surface of earth, but Mr. Gandy rises right into Heaven!”
Edward Hoare, M.A. | Edward HoareSurrounding the shell, stumping curiously about it and touching it with their shapeless hands, were dozens of the Zeudians.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931 | Various
British Dictionary definitions for stump
/ (stʌmp) /
the base part of a tree trunk left standing after the tree has been felled or has fallen
the part of something, such as a tooth, limb, or blade, that remains after a larger part has been removed
informal, facetious
(often plural) a leg
stir one's stumps to move or become active
cricket any of three upright wooden sticks that, with two bails laid across them, form a wicket (the stumps)
Also called: tortillon a short sharply-pointed stick of cork or rolled paper or leather, used in drawing and shading
a heavy tread or the sound of heavy footsteps
a platform used by an orator when addressing a meeting
(often plural) Australian a pile used to support a house
on the stump mainly US and Canadian engaged in campaigning, esp by political speech-making
(tr) to stop, confuse, or puzzle
(intr) to plod or trudge heavily
(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
mainly US and Canadian to campaign or canvass (an area), esp by political speech-making
(tr) to reduce to a stump; lop
(tr) to clear (land) of stumps
Origin of stump
1Derived forms of stump
- stumper, noun
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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