1
as in shuffles
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumps
Olivia Young, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
During the day, the birds lie motionless on the ground, blending into piles of leaves and tree stumps to hide from predators.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Firefighters working the site of the Lachman Fire were ordered to leave the original burn scene despite tree stumps there being hot to the touch, according to a review of firefighter text messages by the Los Angeles Times last October.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
In the forest, stumps become nurse logs that feed fungi and other key players in the biome.
—Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2025
This approach addresses the transparent bottle problem that stumps traditional systems.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
For more than two months, a helicopter has been hard at work removing dead trees and stumps from the reservoir using a special device.
—Olivia Young, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
During the day, the birds lie motionless on the ground, blending into piles of leaves and tree stumps to hide from predators.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Firefighters working the site of the Lachman Fire were ordered to leave the original burn scene despite tree stumps there being hot to the touch, according to a review of firefighter text messages by the Los Angeles Times last October.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
In the forest, stumps become nurse logs that feed fungi and other key players in the biome.
—Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2025
This approach addresses the transparent bottle problem that stumps traditional systems.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumps
Verb
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Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
That is not unique — Major League Baseball’s offseason shuffles along at a deliberate pace, just as the Dodgers historically have liked.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash As the Flynn family fractures under the strain of a failing open marriage and three daughters spiraling into dangerous secrets, their small coastal town is quietly dominated by a powerful shipping magnate no one dares to question.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
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The Sith, led by Darth Sidious (aka Emperor Palpatine) and Darth Vader, sit at the top of the food chain, but Maul still dares to build a criminal empire in the shadows.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Why Vinegar Works Vinegar contains acetic acid—a natural disinfectant that helps break down and dissolve surface residues.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
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Those studies have found that replacing coal with wood pellets can increase near-term carbon emissions, particularly when whole trees—rather than waste residues—are used.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Idris the Valentine’s cow stomps in the footsteps of Squishmallows’ viral strawberry cow and the subsequent bestselling blueberry cow.—
Jacquelyn Smith,
Parents,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg was tasked with layering in claps, stomps and screams.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit challenges 36 boat strikes since September that killed at least 126 people, the first legal case to question their legality under international law.—
Eric Tucker,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
When so much of what’s wrong in the world is the narrowing and shrinking of our moral circles, a movement that effectively challenges that has to do the opposite.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Ennin gets up and stumbles down the block before collapsing next to a building.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
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There’s a fine line between righteousness and self-satisfaction, and the second season, which premieres on HBO Max on January 8, frequently stumbles into the latter territory.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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However, sometimes the abnormal IgA (the antibody that clumps up and causes problems) does run in families.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
15 Jan. 2026
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Cocoa powder often clumps in its container.—
Erin Merhar,
Southern Living,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Here, at what may be one of the last vestiges of the true dude ranch, Saturday nights are for group cookouts, guests are encouraged to wear vests to dinner, and horses are central to the entire experience.—
Asonta Benetti,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
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The Front Page Highlights The president used a keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland to renounce the last vestiges of the liberal democratic order.—
Peter S. Goodman Katie Glueck Apoorva Mandavilli Michael Thomsen,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumps. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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