0 present participle of stump
1 to be unable to answer a question or solve a problem because it is too difficult:
I'm completely stumped - how did she manage to escape?
2 to stomp
3 to travel around an area giving speeches and trying to get political support:
Hollywood stars stumped for the Democratic candidate.
4 If the person hitting the ball in cricket is stumped, their turn to try scoring points is ended by a member of the other team knocking the bails off the stumps with the ball while they are outside a safe area.
We have wasted too much energy on stumping.
They now go stumping round the country trying to make political capital out of the sufferings of ordinary people which arose from their own incompetence.
The number of companies that are capable of stumping up £4 million—or even £1 million, which we heard was often the figure—is limited.
My local community transport group says that charities and trusts are pretty good at stumping up money for capital items.
Its management is stumping the world to achieve orders.
None of us wish a man to go stumping the streets unreasonably.
The pied wagtail, that splendid little black and white chap, is never seen except stumping up and down the lawns.
One could walk into the square and see men stumping around with fetters on their ankles.
