stumps 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of stump
1
2
as in dares
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

stumps

2 of 2

noun

plural of stump

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 stumps
Verb
Tree stumps can also be carved into garden art or used as a pedestal for a large container or statue. — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2026 Ann Braunstein lives off of Hutchison Road where branches and stumps line her street as well. — Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 Learn more about why some stumps regrow and how to stop them. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026 Turkey tail grows on dead logs and tree stumps in overlapping layers that resemble a wild bird’s plumage. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026 Or arrange a bunch of tree stumps around a fire pit to create seating that the kids will love. — Jenny Hughes, The Spruce, 25 May 2026 Ancient artifacts found beneath Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as one mystery still stumps researchers. — FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026 David Hogg stumps for Mai Vang in 7th District primary. — Sacbee.com, 11 May 2026 In 1938, Pennington pitched a tent outside the hiring hall for workers building the Shasta Dam, set up some tree stumps for seats and started hawking grub. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumps
Verb
  • My brother looks at the floor, mumbles something, and then shuffles away from the table.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The line shuffles forward quickly, and my heart knots in my chest as Heartfillers are dosed to each person up ahead.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Located less than an hour away from the Palma de Mallorca airport, the southern town of Santanyí is the latest destination in Mallorca that dares to renew its luxury hotel offer.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Che suspects the white writers pitched this to him, and dares him to name one character without looking at the cue cards.
    — Andy Hoglund, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The binder dissolved, allowing the electrode coatings to separate cleanly from their metal foils without leaving residues.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • During the 19th century, factories and processing plants brought raw materials together in unprecedented quantities and consolidated their unwanted residues in the same sites.
    — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • At one point Evans stomps in to a Fielder secondary interview to try to stop it.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Godzilla Minus Zero stomps into theaters in Japan on November 3 and in North America on November 6.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • An annual competition called BabyLM challenges researchers to train models on a child’s diet of words.
    — Charles Yeomans, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The team had to balance weight and waterproofing as well as figure out successful take off and landing in water, which reflects light and challenges the sensors used in most consumer drones to gauge distance from the ground.
    — Max Cea, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Then the pandemic hit, and an outdoor pint became one of the last vestiges of social life.
    — Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The film will follow a boy (Leber), left to his own devices, who stumbles upon a secret late-night broadcast of lizards playing otherworldly music.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • While going through Verity’s files, Lowen stumbles on her memoir, an alleged confession.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Coastal communities in Southern California began to experience dangerous conditions over Labor Day weekend with the remnants of Hurricane Marie.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The remnants of Hurricane Isaias brought nearly 10 inches of rain to parts of North Carolina on Saturday, creating flash floods, landslides and tornados.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumps. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster