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Meaning & use

tree stump

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈtriː stʌmp/
US/ˈtriː stʌmp/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    The short bottom part of a tree that is left in the ground after the tree has been cut down.

    Grammar: Countable: say 'a tree stump' or 'three tree stumps'; it usually takes 'in' or 'on' for place.

    Patterns

    • a tree stump in something
    • cut a tree stump
    • sit on a tree stump

    We sat on a tree stump at the edge of the field and ate our sandwiches.

    After the storm, workers came to remove the fallen trunk but left the tree stump in the ground.

    The old tree stump in the garden is slowly rotting away.

  2. nouncountable

    The remaining base of a tree that has been cut, seen as something to remove, dig out, or grind down.

    Grammar: Often used with verbs of removal: 'remove', 'grind', 'dig out' a tree stump.

    Patterns

    • remove a tree stump
    • grind a tree stump
    • dig out a tree stump

    It cost us two hundred dollars to have the tree stump ground down.

    He spent the whole weekend trying to dig out the tree stump with a spade.

    If you leave a tree stump, new shoots may grow from it.

Word forms

pluraltree stumps

Common combinations

a tree stump in the ground
There is still a tree stump in the ground where the oak used to be.
remove a tree stump
They hired a machine to remove the tree stump from the lawn.
grind a tree stump
A specialist came to grind the tree stump so the grass could grow back.
an old tree stump
Mushrooms were growing on the old tree stump.
sit on a tree stump
The children like to sit on a tree stump near the pond.

Synonyms and how they differ

stump
Shorter and more common in speech once the context is clear; 'tree stump' is the full, explicit form.
stub
Used for short remaining pieces of things like cigarettes or pencils, not normally for trees.

Word family

stumpy adjective
Short and thick in shape, like a stump.
stump verb
To walk heavily, or to be unable to answer a question.

Commonly confused: tree stump or log? tree stump or trunk?

tree stump vs log

A log is a cut piece of trunk or branch lying on the ground, while a tree stump is the part still fixed in the earth.

tree stump vs trunk

The trunk is the whole main stem of a standing tree; the stump is only what remains after cutting.

Practice

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