stump

[ stuhmp ]

/ stʌmp /

noun

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 gait, as of a wooden-legged or lame person.

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

to walk heavily or clumsily, as if with a wooden leg: The captain stumped across the deck.

to make political campaign speeches; electioneer.

Idioms for 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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM stump

stump·less, adjective stump·like, adjective

Words nearby stump

stumble, stumble across, stumblebum, stumbling block, stumer, stump, stump bed, stump cancer, stump farm, stump foot, stump ranch

Example sentences from the Web for stump

They are model citizens, the kind of people whose lives might be used as exemplary stories by a politician in a stump speech.

The 2014 Novel of the Year |Nathaniel Rich |December 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Plus “The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth/And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath”?

Keep Christmas Commercialized! |P. J. O’Rourke |December 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Looking to turn back the tide or at least hold it back for one more election, Clinton will stump in Benton County next week.

Bubba Goes Back to the Briar Patch: Bill Clinton’s Arkansas Obsession |Patricia Murphy |October 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Republicans and Democrats love bashing lobbyists on the stump.

Lobbyist Derangement Syndrome Sweeps DC |James Poulos |August 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

As Cochran said on the stump and in ads, he is a pro-life, NRA-endorsed conservative who opposes Obamacare.

How Thad Cochran Pulled Off a Win Over Chris McDaniel (Simple, Really) |Stuart Stevens |June 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The mortgage they had to work off was a stump; but faith and Luclarion's dairy did it.

Real Folks |Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney
This morning I saw him hold up two fingers, the third crooked, in sign of the remaining "two and a stump."

Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist |Alexander Berkman
On examination after death, the termination of the vein on the surface of the stump was open, and in a sloughy condition.

On the origin of inflammation of the veins |Henry Lee
Reddy stopped and stood up on his hind legs so as to see if the top of that stump was hollow.

Bowser The Hound |Thornton W. Burgess
Bonaparte, watching his master, ran around the tree again and squatting on his stump of a tail grinned likewise.

The Bishop of Cottontown |John Trotwood Moore

British Dictionary definitions for stump

stump

/ (stʌmp) /

noun

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

verb

(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

Derived forms of stump

stumper, noun

Word Origin for stump

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

Medical definitions for stump

stump

[ stŭmp ]

n.

The extremity of a limb left after amputation.

The pedicle remaining after removal of the tumor to which it was attached.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

stump

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Idioms for stump

Origin of stump

OTHER WORDS FROM stump

Words nearby stump

Example sentences from the Web for stump

British Dictionary definitions for stump

noun

verb

Derived forms of stump

Word Origin for stump

Medical definitions for stump

n.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

stump

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Idioms for stump

Origin of stump

OTHER WORDS FROM stump

Words nearby stump

Words related to stump

Example sentences from the Web for stump

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for stump

noun

verb

Derived forms of stump

Word Origin for stump

Medical definitions for stump

n.

British Dictionary definitions for stump