What does "stump" mean?
The remains of something that has been cut off; especially the remains of a tree, the remains of a limb.
Stump
/stʌmp/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The remains of something that has been cut off; especially the remains of a tree, the remains of a limb.
- Grammar: stump is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: addle, address, afterglow, afterimage.
- Useful contrasts: abstain, clarify, elucidate.
- Usage evidence: But I have nothing left. I am just an old stump.
How to use "stump"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stump" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stump" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stump" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stump" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stump" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "addle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stump", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The remains of something that has been cut off; especially the remains of a tree, the remains of a limb.
- 2 a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it wordnet
- 3 The place or occasion at which a campaign takes place; the husting.
- 4 (cricket) any of three upright wooden posts that form the wicket wordnet
- 5 A place or occasion at which a person harangues or otherwise addresses a group in a manner suggesting political oration. figuratively
"Paul Muniment had taken hold of Hyacinth, and said, 'I'll trouble you to stay, you little desperado. I'll be blowed if I ever expected to see you on the stump!'"
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 the part of a limb or tooth that remains after the rest is removed wordnet
- 7 One of three small wooden posts which together with the bails make the wicket and that the fielding team attempt to hit with the ball.
- 8 the base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled wordnet
- 9 An artists’ drawing tool made of rolled paper used to smudge or blend marks made with charcoal, Conté crayon, pencil or other drawing media.
- 10 A wooden or concrete pole used to support a house.
- 11 A leg. humorous, slang
"to stir one's stumps"
- 12 A pin in a tumbler lock which forms an obstruction to throwing the bolt except when the gates of the tumblers are properly arranged, as by the key.
- 13 A pin or projection in a lock to form a guide for a movable piece.
Verb
- 1 To stop, confuse, or puzzle. informal, transitive
- 2 remove tree stumps from wordnet
- 3 To baffle; to make unable to find an answer to a question or problem. informal, intransitive
"This last question has me stumped."
- 4 cause to be perplexed or confounded wordnet
- 5 To campaign. intransitive
"He’s been stumping for that reform for months."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 travel through a district and make political speeches wordnet
- 7 To travel over (a state, a district, etc.) giving speeches for electioneering purposes. US, colloquial, transitive
- 8 walk heavily wordnet
- 9 To get a batsman out stumped. transitive
- 10 To bowl down the stumps of (a wicket). transitive
"A herd of boys with clamour bowled, / And stumped the wicket."
- 11 To walk heavily or clumsily, plod, trudge. intransitive
"Mrs Dibble made for the kitchen, stumping violently with her crutches and heaving her bulk along with the obvious determination to submerge her wrongs by resorting to the gin-bottle."
- 12 To reduce to a stump; to truncate or cut off a part of. transitive
- 13 To strike unexpectedly; to stub, as the toe against something fixed. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"But I have nothing left. I am just an old stump."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stump"?
Common synonyms include: addle, address, afterglow, afterimage, air brush, amaze.
How do you use "stump" in a sentence?
But I have nothing left. I am just an old stump.
How do you pronounce "stump"?
Pronounced /stʌmp/.
Etymology
From Middle English stumpe, stompe (“stump”), from or akin to Middle Low German stump (“stump”) or Middle Dutch stomp, from Old Saxon or Old Dutch *stump, from Proto-West Germanic *stump, from Proto-Germanic *stumpaz (“stump, blunt, part cut off”). Cognate with Middle Dutch stomp (“stump”), Old High German stumph (“stump”) (German Stumpf), Old Norse stumpr (“stump”). More at stop.