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stump

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

stuhmp
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈstʌmp

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled

  2. The remains of something that has been cut off; especially the remains of a tree, the remains of a limb.

  3. figurative

    A place or occasion at which a person harangues or otherwise addresses a group in a manner suggesting political oration.

  4. politics

    The place or occasion at which a campaign takes place; the husting.

  5. 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.

  6. A wooden or concrete pole used to support a house.

verb

  1. Travel through a district and make political speeches

  2. intransitive

    To walk heavily or clumsily, plod, trudge.

  3. intransitive

    To campaign.

  4. transitiveuscolloquial

    To travel over (a state, a district, etc.) giving speeches for electioneering purposes.

  5. intransitiveinformal

    To baffle; to make unable to find an answer to a question or problem.

  6. transitive

    To strike unexpectedly; to stub, as the toe against something fixed.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

More ways to use stump

  • “To stir one's stumps.”noun
  • “This last question has me stumped.”verb
  • “He's been stumping for that reform for months.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Base / remains

tree stumpdistal stump

Other combinations

stump speechcentral stumpstump speakerproximal stumpperipheral stumphollow stump

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • stump speechnounCompound term

    Political oratory.

  • stump spudnounCompound term

    A sharp hand shovel for digging out roots and weeds.

  • tree stumpnounCompound term

    The base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.