trump

Meanings

Noun

• The suit, in a game of cards, that outranks all others.
• A playing card of that suit.
• Something that gives one an advantage, especially one held in reserve.
• An excellent person; a fine fellow, a good egg.
• An old card game, almost identical to whist; the game of ruff.
• A card of the major arcana of the tarot.
• A trumpet.
• Flatulence.
• The noise made by an elephant through its trunk.
• Synonym of Jew's harp.

Verb

• To play on (a card of another suit) with a trump.
• To play a trump, or to take a trick with a trump.
• To get the better of, or finesse, a competitor.
• To impose unfairly; to palm off.
• To supersede.
• To outweigh; be stronger, greater, bigger than or in other way superior to.
• To blow a trumpet.
• To flatulate.

Related

Similar words

• ruff
• outsmart

Origin

• Possibly from French triomphe or Old French triumphe.
• From Middle English trumpe, trompe from Old French trompe, from Frankish *trumpa, from a common Germanic word of imitative origin.
• Akin to Old High German trumpa, trumba, Middle Dutch tromme, Middle Low German trumme. More at trumpet, drum.
• Shortening of Jew's-trump, which may be from French jeu-trump, jeu tromp, jeu trompe (a trump, or toy, to play with).