Definition

1. Noun:

   • A brass musical instrument: A trumpet, especially in archaic or poetic usage.
   • The suit in a card game that outranks all others: In games like bridge or whist, the suit chosen to be superior for a particular hand.
   • A playing card of the trump suit: A card that belongs to the suit designated as trumps and can win a trick over cards of other suits.

2. Verb:

   • To play a trump card: To play a card from the trump suit, thereby winning the trick unless beaten by a higher trump.
   • To outdo or surpass: To get the better of someone or something; to best.
   • To proclaim or announce loudly or triumphantly: To sound forth like a trumpet.
   • To fabricate or invent falsely: To concoct a false story or accusation (used with "up").

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • He played a high trump and won the trick.
  • In this hand, hearts are trumps.
  • (Archaic) The sound of the trump echoed across the field.

• Verb:

  • She trumped my ace with the king of trumps.
  • His latest invention trumped all previous designs.
  • The scandal was trumped up by his political opponents.

Advanced Usage

• "To turn up trumps": To be surprisingly helpful or successful; to come through in a difficult situation.

  • I was in a tight spot, but my friend really turned up trumps and lent me the money.

• "To play one's trump card": To use one's most powerful or valuable resource.

  • The company played its trump card by revealing the groundbreaking new technology.

Variants and Related Words

• Trump card (n): Literally, a card of the trump suit. Figuratively, a decisive advantage or resource held in reserve.
• Trumpery (n, archaic): Worthless finery; nonsense. (Adjective: Showy but worthless).
• Trumpet (n): The modern brass instrument from which "trump" is derived.

Synonyms

• Verb (to surpass): Outdo, outshine, beat, best, top, exceed.
• Verb (to fabricate): Concoct, fabricate, invent, forge, cook up.
• Noun (card): (No direct synonym; context-specific).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Trump up: To invent or fabricate something, typically something false or incriminating.
  • The evidence against him was clearly trumped up.

Related Idioms

• Hold all the trumps: To have all the advantages in a situation.
  • In the negotiation, she held all the trumps.
• A trumped-up charge/accusation: A false accusation that has been fabricated.
  • He was arrested on a trumped-up charge.

Noun

1. a brass musical instrument with a brilliant tone; has a narrow tube and a flared bell and is played by means of valves
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 playing card in the suit that has been declared trumps
   • the ace of trumps is a sure winner

Verb

1. proclaim or announce with or as if with a fanfare
2. play a trump
3. get the better of
   • the goal was to best the competition
4. produce a sound as if from a trumpet