1
a
: the basal portion of a bodily part remaining after the rest is removed
b
: a rudimentary or vestigial bodily part
2
: the part of a plant and especially a tree remaining attached to the root after the trunk is cut
3
: a remaining part : stub
4
: one of the pointed rods stuck in the ground to form a cricket wicket
5
: a place or occasion for public speaking (as for a cause or candidate)
also
: the circuit followed by a maker of such speeches
—used especially in the phrase on the stump
stumped; stumping; stumps
1
: to reduce to a stump : trim
3
: to clear (land) of stumps
4
: to travel over (a region) making political speeches or supporting a cause
5
a
: to walk over heavily or clumsily
b
1
: to walk heavily or clumsily
2
: to go about making political speeches or supporting a cause
stumper
noun
: a short thick roll of leather, felt, or paper usually pointed at both ends and used for shading or blending a drawing in crayon, pencil, charcoal, pastel, or chalk
stumped; stumping; stumps
: to tone or treat (a drawing) with a stump
Synonyms
Examples of stump in a Sentence
Verb (1)
the seemingly endless parade finally ended, and the drummers and tuba players stumped wearily to their buses
when my grandfather was a kid, he and his friends would stump one another to dive into the local swimming hole
Recent Examples on the Web
Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024
The whorls of tree stumps provide a place to rest, proof that even things that are broken still have use.
—Tegan Tegani, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Nov. 2024
Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, is coming to Arizona for the second Saturday in a row, and his trip comes days after Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz stumped for the Harris-Walz ticket here on Tuesday.
—The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stump 
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Noun
Videos of awkward campaign encounters and stump jokes fed ridicule from the left.
—Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024
The whorls of tree stumps provide a place to rest, proof that even things that are broken still have use.
—Tegan Tegani, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent progressive Democrat of Puerto Rican heritage, has been stumping for Harris as the campaign tries to secure the Latino vote, especially in the wake of the derogatory comments made about Puerto Rico by a speaker at a Trump rally.
—Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, is coming to Arizona for the second Saturday in a row, and his trip comes days after Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz stumped for the Harris-Walz ticket here on Tuesday.
—The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stump
Dictionary Entries Near stump
Cite this Entry
“Stump.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stump. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stump
1 of 2 noun1
: the base of a bodily part (as an arm or leg) remaining after the rest is removed
2
: the part of a plant and especially a tree remaining attached to the root after the top is cut off
3
: a part (as of a pencil) remaining after the rest is worn away or lost : stub
4
: a place or occasion for political public speaking
stump
2 of 2 verb1
2
a
: to walk or walk over heavily or clumsily
3
: to go about making political speeches
stump the state for a candidate
stumper
noun
Etymology
Verb
probably an altered form of earlier stump (noun) "a challenge"
Medical Definition
stump
noun1
: the basal portion of a bodily part (as a limb) remaining after the rest is removed
2
: a rudimentary or vestigial bodily part
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