Adjacent Words

Trump definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TRUMP, n.
1. A trumpet; a wind instrument of music; a poetical word used for trumpet. It is seldom used in prose, in common discourse; but is used in Scripture, where it seems peculiarly appropriate to the grandeur of the subject.
At the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised. 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Th 4.
2. [contracted from triumph.] A winning card; one of the suit of cards which takes any of the other suits.
3. An old game with cares.
To put to the trumps,
To put on the trumps, to reduce to the last expedient, or to the utmost exertion of power.
TRUMP, v.i. To take with a trump card.
1. To obtrude; also, to deceive. [Not in use.]
To trump up, to devise; to seek and collect from every quarter.
TRUMP, v.i. To blow a trumpet.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a playing card in the suit that has been declared trumps; "the ace of trumps is a sure winner" [syn: trump, trump card]
2: (card games) the suit that has been declared to rank above all other suits for the duration of the hand; "clubs were declared trumps"; "a trump can take a trick even when a card of a different suit is led"
3: a brass musical instrument with a brilliant tone; has a narrow tube and a flared bell and is played by means of valves [syn: cornet, horn, trumpet, trump] v
1: produce a sound as if from a trumpet
2: get the better of; "the goal was to best the competition" [syn: outdo, outflank, trump, best, scoop]
3: play a trump [syn: trump, ruff]
4: proclaim or announce with or as if with a fanfare [syn: trump, trump out]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English trompe, from Anglo-French trumpe, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German trumba, trumpa trumpet Date: 14th century 1. a. trumpet b. chiefly Scottish Jew's harp 2. a sound of or as if of trumpeting <the trump of doom> II. noun Etymology: alteration of ¹triumph Date: 1529 1. a. a card of a suit any of whose cards will win over a card that is not of this suit — called also trump card b. the suit whose cards are trumps for a particular hand — often used in plural 2. a decisive overriding factor or final resource — called also trump card 3. a dependable and exemplary person III. verb Date: 1586 transitive verb 1. to get the better of ; override <where ambition invariably trumps loyalty — Michael Kramer> 2. to play a trump on (a card or trick) when another suit was led intransitive verb to play a trump when another suit was led

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a playing-card of a suit ranking above the others. 2 an advantage esp. involving surprise. 3 colloq. a a helpful or admired person. b Austral. & NZ a person in authority. --v. 1 a tr. defeat (a card or its player) with a trump. b intr. play a trump card when another suit has been led. 2 tr. colloq. gain a surprising advantage over (a person, proposal, etc.). Phrases and idioms: trump card 1 a card belonging to, or turned up to determine, a trump suit. 2 colloq. a a valuable resource. b a surprise move to gain an advantage. trump up fabricate or invent (an accusation, excuse, etc.) (on a trumped-up charge). turn up trumps Brit. colloq. 1 turn out better than expected. 2 be greatly successful or helpful. Etymology: corrupt. of TRIUMPH in the same (now obs.) sense 2. n. archaic a trumpet-blast. Phrases and idioms: the last trump the trumpet-blast to wake the dead on Judgement Day. Etymology: ME f. OF trompe f. Frank.: prob. imit.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trump Trump, n. [OE. trumpe, trompe, F. trompe; probably fr. L. triumphare to triumph, to exult, hence, probably, to make a joyous sound or noise. See Triumph, v. i. & n., and cf. Trombone, Tromp, Trump at cards, Trumpery, Trumpet, Trunk a proboscis.] A wind instrument of music; a trumpet, or sound of a trumpet; -- used chiefly in Scripture and poetry. We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. --1 Cor. xv. 51, 52. The wakeful trump of doom. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trump Trump, v. i. [Cf. OF. tromper. See Trump a trumpet.] To blow a trumpet. [Obs.] --Wyclif (Matt. vi. 2).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trump Trump, n. [A corruption of triumph, F. triomphe. See Triumph, and cf. Trump a trumpet.] 1. A winning card; one of a particular suit (usually determined by chance for each deal) any card of which takes any card of the other suits. 2. An old game with cards, nearly the same as whist; -- called also ruff. --Decker. 3. A good fellow; an excellent person. [Slang] Alfred is a trump, I think you say. --Thackeray. To put to one's trumps, or To put on one's trumps, to force to the last expedient, or to the utmost exertion. But when kings come so low as to fawn upon philosophy, which before they neither valued nor understood, it is a sign that fails not, they are then put to their last trump. --Milton. Put the housekeeper to her trumps to accommodate them. --W. Irving.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trump Trump, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Trumped; p. pr. & vb. n. Trumping.] To play a trump card when one of another suit has been led.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trump Trump, v. t. To play a trump card upon; to take with a trump card; as, she trumped the first trick.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trump Trump, v. t. [F. tromper to deceive, in OF., to blow a trumpet, se tromper de to mock. See Trump a trumpet.] 1. To trick, or impose on; to deceive. [Obs.] ``To trick or trump mankind.'' --B. Jonson. 2. To impose unfairly; to palm off. Authors have been trumped upon us. --C. Leslie. To trump up, to devise; to collect with unfairness; to fabricate; as, to trump up a charge.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(trumps, trumping, trumped) 1. In a game of cards, trumps is the suit which is chosen to have the highest value in one particular game. Hearts are trumps. N-UNCOUNT-COLL 2. In a game of cards, a trump is a playing card which belongs to the suit which has been chosen as trumps. He played a trump. N-COUNT 3. If you trump what someone has said or done, you beat it by saying or doing something else that seems better. The Socialists tried to trump this with their slogan... VERB: V n 4. Your trump card is something powerful that you can use or do, which gives you an advantage over someone. In the end, the Ten took their appeal to the Supreme Court; this, they had believed from the outset, would be their trump card... PHRASE: poss PHR 5. If you say that someone came up trumps, you mean that they did something successfully, often when they were not expected to. (BRIT) Dwayne has come up trumps with a goal worthy of winning any match. PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. (Poetical.) Trumpet. 2. Trump-card, winning card. II. v. a. 1. Lay a trump on, win with a trump. 2. Trick impose on. 3. Obtrude, impose unfairly. III. v. n. Play a trump.

Moby Thesaurus

ace, action, ad hoc measure, answer, artifice, beat, best, best bower, better, bower, brick, cap, cards, clubs, contrivance, countermove, coup, course of action, crackerjack, deck, demarche, deuce, device, diamonds, dodge, doll, dummy, effort, exceed, excel, expedient, face cards, flush, full house, gimmick, go one better, good Joe, good egg, good guy, hand, hearts, improve on, improvisation, jack, joker, jury-rig, jury-rigged expedient, king, knave, last expedient, last resort, last shift, left bower, likely lad, makeshift, maneuver, means, measure, move, nice guy, no slouch, outdo, outstrip, outweigh, overbalance, overbear, overcome, overpass, overtop, pack, pair, pass, perfect, picture cards, pis aller, playing cards, predominate, preponderate, prevail, pussycat, queen, resort, resource, round, royal flush, rubber, ruff, shake-up, shift, singleton, solution, spades, step, stopgap, stout fellow, straight, stratagem, stroke, stroke of policy, surpass, tactic, temporary expedient, top, tower above, tower over, transcend, trey, trick, working hypothesis, working proposition