Pronunciation: /stʌmps/

Definitions of stumps

noun a difficult or challenging situation or problem

Example Sentences

A1 The dog buried his bone under the stumps of the old tree.

A2 The hikers sat on the stumps to rest during their trek through the forest.

B1 The lumberjacks cleared the forest, leaving behind only stumps where the trees once stood.

B2 The baseball player tripped over one of the stumps while running to catch the ball.

C1 The arborist examined the stumps to determine the age and health of the trees that had been cut down.

C2 The artist used the stumps as inspiration for a series of sculptures depicting the beauty of nature.

verb to walk heavily or clumsily

Example Sentences

A1 He stumps his toe on the table and yells in pain.

A2 The hiker stumps through the forest, trying to find the trail.

B1 The detective stumps the suspect with tough questions.

B2 The politician's speech stumps the audience with its complexity.

C1 The scientist's research stumps even the most knowledgeable experts in the field.

C2 The puzzle was so difficult that it stumped even the most experienced puzzlers.

Examples of stumps in a Sentence

formal The arborist examined the tree stumps to determine the age of the forest.

informal We sat on the tree stumps by the campfire and roasted marshmallows.

slang I tripped over those dang tree stumps in the yard again.

figurative The unexpected news left him feeling like he had been kicked in the stumps.

Grammatical Forms of stumps

past tense

stumped

plural

stumps

comparative

stumpier

superlative

stumpiest

present tense

stump

future tense

will stump

perfect tense

have stumped

continuous tense

is stumping

singular

stump

positive degree

stump

infinitive

to stump

gerund

stumping

participle

stumped

Origin and Evolution of stumps

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Middle English
Story behind the word: The word 'stumps' originated from Middle English, likely derived from the Old English word 'stump'.
Evolution of the word: Originally used to refer to the lower part of a tree left projecting from the ground after the tree has been felled, 'stumps' later evolved to also mean the lower part of a human limb remaining after an amputation or injury.