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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

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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”

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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

For working-class voters, including women, class can trump gender as the determining factor behind a vote.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

Plus the U.S. has already shown it can exercise a trump over Gulf energy flows without actually having to risk its ships in the Gulf’s narrow waters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

The paper playfully suggests the US president played his "trump card" when he spoke with Fifa president Gianni Infantino to review Balogun's ban.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 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

“Well, my love, I consider him a trump, in the fullest sense of that expressive word, but I do wish he was a little younger and a good deal richer.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

But in June, the Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration's decision to end TPS for some 350,000 Haitians in the US.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Trump also pushed out his ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle -- the ex-fiancee of his son Don Jr -- amid allegations that she sought money from one of the president's supporters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

On Tuesday, Trump and Vance announced a $25-million whistleblower program designed to pay out cash to people who tip off the federal government about fraudsters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Salas told AFP when asked what message he would send to Trump.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

The guy acting like he was Donald Trump.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

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Related Words

• outdo
• overtake

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