stump

[ stuhmp ]

noun

1. 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.
2. the part of a limb of the body remaining after the rest has been cut off.
3. a part of a broken or decayed tooth left in the gum.
4. a short remnant, as of a candle; stub.
5. any basal part remaining after the main or more important part has been removed.
6. an artificial leg.
7. Usually stumps. Informal. legs:

   Stir your stumps and get out of here.

8. a short, stocky person.
9. a heavy step or uneven gait.
10. the figurative place of political speechmaking:

    to go on the stump.

11. Furniture. a support for the front end of the arm of a chair, sofa, etc. Compare post ¹( def 2 ).
12. 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.
13. Cricket. each of the three upright sticks that, with the two bails laid on top of them, form a wicket.

verb (used with object)

1. to reduce to a stump; truncate; lop.
2. to clear of stumps, as land.
3. Chiefly Southern U.S. to stub, as one's toe.
4. to nonplus, embarrass, or render completely at a loss:

   This riddle stumps me.

5. to challenge or dare to do something.
6. to make political campaign speeches to or in:

   to stump a state.

7. 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.
8. to tone or modify (a crayon drawing, pencil rendering, etc.) by means of a stump.

verb (used without object)

1. to walk heavily or clumsily, as if with a wooden leg:

   The captain stumped across the deck.

2. to make political campaign speeches; electioneer.

stump

/ stʌmp /

noun

1. the base part of a tree trunk left standing after the tree has been felled or has fallen
2. the part of something, such as a tooth, limb, or blade, that remains after a larger part has been removed
3. informal.
   1. often plural a leg
   2. to move or become active
4. cricket any of three upright wooden sticks that, with two bails laid across them, form a wicket (the stumps )
5. Also calledtortillon a short sharply-pointed stick of cork or rolled paper or leather, used in drawing and shading
6. a heavy tread or the sound of heavy footsteps
7. a platform used by an orator when addressing a meeting
8. often plural a pile used to support a house
9. on the stump
   engaged in campaigning, esp by political speech-making

verb

1. tr to stop, confuse, or puzzle
2. intr to plod or trudge heavily
3. 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
4. to campaign or canvass (an area), esp by political speech-making
5. tr to reduce to a stump; lop
6. tr to clear (land) of stumps

Derived Forms

• ˈstumper, noun

Other Words From

• stump·less adjective
• stump·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stump¹

1200–50; (noun) Middle English stompe, cognate with or < Middle Low German stump ( e ), Middle Dutch stomp (compare German Stumpf ); (v.) Middle English stumpen to stumble (as over a stump), derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stump¹

C14: from Middle Low German stump; related to Dutch stomp, German Stumpf; see stamp

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. up a stump, Informal. at a loss; embarrassed; perplexed:

   Sociologists are up a stump over the sharp rise in juvenile delinquency and crime.

Example Sentences

The contest attracted national attention, with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana traveling to Riverside County to stump for Calvert, and former President Trump rallying nearby at a Coachella Valley polo field.

From Los Angeles Times

Harris, one of the most cautious and disciplined politicians in her party, defined herself in her stump speech as someone who would be “grounded in common sense and practical outcomes.”

From Los Angeles Times

The contest attracted national attention, with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana traveling to Riverside County to stump for Calvert, and former President Trump rallying nearby at a Coachella Valley polo field.

From Los Angeles Times

With a healthy lead in the polls, Schiff turned his attention to boosting Democrats in swing states, raising money for California’s House candidates and traveling out of state to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris and his future colleagues in the Senate.

From Los Angeles Times

Most days as a tracker are far from glamorous — you wait for hours at a right-wing barbeque only to record the same stump speech for the hundredth time, you’re followed to your car by a Republican threatening to pour hot coffee on you, or you’re recognized and dragged away by security that’s more than happy to manhandle an obnoxious 20 something.

From Salon

Related Words

• baffle
• confound
• dumbfound
• mystify
• perplex
• puzzle