Stumped

Stumped is the past participle of the verb stump and is used as an adjective to describe a person who is perplexed or unable to answer a question. In informal English, one may say “I’m stumped” when faced with a difficult riddle or problem. This sense conveys temporary confusion rather than a long-term inability to know something.

As a verb, stump has two broad uses. One is political campaigning, where to stump means to tour a region giving speeches to win support; the past tense, stumped, appears in sentences such as “The candidate stumped across the state.” The related noun stump refers to the platform or stage used during such speeches. The other use is in forestry or gardening, where stump refers to the remaining trunk after a tree has been cut down; stumped can describe trees or shrubs that have been reduced to stumps in clearing or pruning operations.

Usage notes: the sense of being stumped is typically informal and indicates a momentary impasse. The term is widely understood in English-speaking regions and can apply to questions, problems, or situations that resist an easy or immediate answer. See also stump speech and stump (tree) for related terminology.