STUMPING Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

stumping

verb

present participle of stump

as in shuffling

to move heavily or clumsily the seemingly endless parade finally ended, and the drummers and tuba players stumped wearily to their buses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in daring

to invite (someone) to take part in a contest or to perform a feat when my grandfather was a kid, he and his friends would stump one another to dive into the local swimming hole

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stumping For black voters, who largely sided Stevens in the primary, those outreach efforts include stumping with Harris. — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026 Australia’s 2024 stinky ‘black balls’ incident This isn’t the first time mysterious balls were found on Australian beaches, stumping experts and locals alike. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 8 July 2026 Frenzel has been stumping in favor of data center buildup and in April said that if done correctly, such centers could help bring down the cost of electricity for its customers. — Steve Gelsi, semafor.com, 14 Apr. 2026 What this entailed was gaining as much reliable information about the Soviet military as possible while stumping for an open skies policy that would allow overflights by both sides of the other's territory to prevent accidental war. — David Szondy march 29, New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026 But one skin dilemma that’s stumping even me is why everyone thinks their skin looks so dull right now. — Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29, 20 Jan. 2026 After successfully stumping Consuelos with a bit of trivia of her own, a contestant named Rachel was then tasked with answering a question about recent Live guest and Virgin River actress Alexandra Breckenridge. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025 Elsewhere, Donald Washberg is stumping dressed like Will Rogers at the Ziegfeld Follies. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025 With a national fundraising blitz in full swing and Election Day just around the corner, Democrats stumping for Proposition 50 have far out-raised and out-spent their opponents — even though a California megadonor with Republican ties single-handedly spent $30 million to defeat it. — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumping

Verb

Green tea was served by gang members shuffling around in slippers.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Ivey and his partner persuaded the Crockfords dealer to rotate the high-value cards 180 degrees before shuffling them back into the pack, citing some obscure superstition as justification.

— Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of shuffling

Verb

Skarsgard, who, like Colman, has made some daring career moves in recent years, became the only man to do this knight-in-shining-wicker justice.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
That made The Social Network daring in its nuanced depiction of the enterprise, and the film consequently raised profound questions for audiences to grapple with.

— Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of daring

Verb

Big banks made changes to overdraft fees and fraud protections following previous testimony, for example, while former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf abruptly resigned in 2016 after stumbling during hearings on the bank’s fake accounts scandal.

— Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
In an era of geotags and influencers, there’s something deeply satisfying about stumbling upon a place that still feels like a secret.

— Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of stumbling

Verb

Of course, the contexts stricken by war and state failure are challenging.

— David Miliband, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Democracy Forward, which is representing the plaintiffs challenging his renovation plans, responded by saying that the course is part of a national park and recreation facility that is meant for everyone to enjoy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of challenging

Browse Nearby Words

stumpers

stumping

stumps

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Stumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumping. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of stumping

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes