v. tr. stumped, stump·ing, stumps.

Informal. To baffle.

The etymology of this word lies in the days of American westward expansion. The government would cut down trees to make roads. Being as efficient as possible, they neglected to remove the stumps. In bad weather, when the rain would wash away the dirt around the stumps, wagons often got a wheel stuck between two stumps, immobilizing the wagon.