How to Use stump in a Sentence

stump

1 of 2 noun
  • Stumped on how to kill a tree stump?
    — Steven John, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Think about what's next once the stump is gone.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2026
  • All that’s left of the snook is a bloody stump.
    — Bill Kearney, Miami Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
  • Tie the plastic around the stump.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The stump dries within days, and the scar forms.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
  • What is the fastest way to remove a tree stump?
    — Steven John, Architectural Digest, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Sometimes new leaves sprout from the stumps of vines.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
  • Wrap the stump in a durable tarp and secure it in place.
    — Steven John, Architectural Digest, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The bottom of the stump should be moist with some sap present.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec. 2022
  • Tree stumps, logs, things like that floated in and out of that place.
    — Callie Cassick, Fox News, 19 Feb. 2024
  • Yes, a stylish tree stump is the chicest place to sit or display items.
    — Deanna Kizis, Sunset Magazine, 13 June 2023
  • On each end of the pitch is a wicket, a set of three stumps and two bails.
    — Peter Rauterkus, Dallas News, 12 July 2023
  • Also be sure to check the ground for any large rocks, roots, stumps, or sticks.
    — Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 13 Dec. 2023
  • Dig It Out Small stumps can dug by hand.
    — Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
  • One trick is leaving a longer trunk piece attached to the stump.
    — Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Use black plastic to cover the stump.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Within two weeks, new leaves sprouted from the top of the stump.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2020
  • The sapling that sprouted from the stump now stands about 60 feet.
    — Tiana Woodard, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2023
  • Grinding a stump can be costly.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Remove stumps and dead roots around structures.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 May 2026
  • Romp grabbed a tree, pounded the stump against the ground and fluffed out the branches.
    — Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023
  • Use the ax head of a garden mattock to cut through the roots at the base of the stump.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Who really knows what these pols escape to in their hours off the stump?
    — Armond White, National Review, 8 Sep. 2023
  • But as a stump pitch went, that made for a pretty slim difference.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2024
  • If done properly, stump grinding is not bad for the soil.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2026
  • Here’s what this looks like in pruning away the stump of a branch torn off from a winter storm.
    — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 17 July 2023
  • Their new goat companion sits on a tree stump and screams when gently pressed.
    — Tanya Edwards, Parents, 4 Oct. 2023
  • Mendez came home from work to find a stump where a mature tree was hours earlier.
    — Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2022
  • Dusk deepened, and our fire threw shadows that made every stump look like a bear.
    — Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 2026
  • The greenish field is covered with brown leaves, tree stumps and small branches.
    — Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024

stump

2 of 2 verb
  • His case had stumped his doctors.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Coyne isn’t out here to stump people.
    — Chris Richards, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Cignetti doesn’t have to stump for his team anymore.
    — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The caller won a prize by stumping the cast.
    — Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2025
  • The caller won a prize by stumping the cast.
    — Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2025
  • But even this simple case has stumped researchers for over 20 years.
    — Michael Greshko, Quanta Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
  • The question stumped them, but only to some extent.
    — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Also, check rocks, stumps or logs before sitting down.
    — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 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
  • And these puzzles aren’t just fun for kids, there are plenty of hard riddles that will even stump adults.
    — Cameron Jenkins, Good Housekeeping, 4 Sep. 2023
  • Ramona Simpson, the city’s deputy chief of staff, was also stumped.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2023
  • Tatis’ power outage at age 27 has stumped the baseball world.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 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
  • This one may even stump native Arizonans.
    — Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Thinking it over, the thing that stumped me was, what would 1/6 of a buck look like roaming through the woods?
    — Chester Chatfield, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2025
  • 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
  • Shopping for the perfect Father’s Day gift can stump even the most gift-savvy.
    — Deena Campbell, Essence, 25 May 2021
  • Beyond that, a strange powdery substance covering the area left them stumped.
    — Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 May 2023
  • Biden himself will stump across the country to sell the accomplishment.
    — Dan Merica, CNN, 17 Nov. 2021
  • Stanford’s defense was so badly stumped, Keister said the field was wide open all the way to the end zone.
    — Ndaschel, oregonlive, 19 Sep. 2023
  • Smith shows support for the school and its plight, but hasn’t stumped for the future at Dickert’s level.
    — Ndaschel, oregonlive, 18 Sep. 2023
  • Still, managers might be stumped by a request to put on high school hoops or a sailing competition.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 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
  • Mark Consuelos has been stumped one too many times by Jane Krakowski.
    — EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024
  • This injury, which is producing tightness in his left hamstring and groin, has stumped the panel.
    — Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023
  • When asked about the Uyghurs during the radio show, Suarez was completely stumped.
    — Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani, The New Republic, 27 June 2023
  • Kids often stump us with their burning (and sometimes surprising) questions about the world.
    — Good Housekeeping, 22 Aug. 2023
  • 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
  • Obama will be out stumping for Sherrill in the lead-up to Election Day.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
  • See all Abstractions blog For two decades, the conjecture stumped anyone who tried to prove it.
    — Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stump.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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