trump

/trəmp/

/trəmp/

Other forms: trumps; trumped; trumping

To trump is to outrank or defeat someone or something, often in a highly public way. Safety might trump appearance when you're buying a car, or your desires may trump your brother's when it comes to making weekend plans.

In the card game bridge, the trump card is the most powerful card in a particular round and defeats all the others — sort of like when your needs or wishes trump someone else's. Originally trump implied a deceptive form of victory involving cheating, but that sense has been largely lost, though it's still around in the term trumped up, meaning something that's been falsely made up. A politician may face trumped up charges that could ruin his career.

Definitions of trump

1. verb

   get the better of
   synonyms: best, outdo, outflank, scoop

   types:

   outmaneuver, outmanoeuvre, outsmart

   defeat by more skillful maneuvering

   outgeneral

   surpass in generalship

   type of:

   beat, beat out, crush, shell, trounce, vanquish

   come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
2. verb

   play a trump
   synonyms: ruff

   types:

   overtrump

   play a trump higher than (one previously played) to the trick

   crossruff

   trump alternately in two hands

   type of:

   go, move

   have a turn; make one's move in a game
3. noun

   a playing card in the suit that has been declared trumps
   “the ace of trumps is a sure winner”

   synonyms: trump card

   type of:

   playing card

   one of a pack of cards that are used to play card games
4. noun

   (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”

   type of:

   suit

   playing card in any of four sets of 13 cards in a pack; each set has its own symbol and color
5. noun

   a final factor or resource that determines an outcome
   synonyms: trump card

   type of:

   resource

   a source of aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed
6. noun

   a brass musical instrument with a brilliant tone; has a narrow tube and a flared bell and is played by means of valves
   synonyms: cornet, horn, trumpet

   types:

   serpent

   an obsolete bass cornet; resembles a snake

   type of:

   brass, brass instrument

   a wind instrument that consists of a brass tube (usually of variable length) that is blown by means of a cup-shaped or funnel-shaped mouthpiece
7. verb

   proclaim or announce with or as if with a fanfare
   synonyms: trump out

   type of:

   announce, denote

   make known; make an announcement
8. verb

   produce a sound as if from a trumpet
   type of:

   go, sound

   make a certain noise or sound