Chumped

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Tricked or deceived by someone in a way that causes embarrassment or loss
2. Cheated or duped, often leading to a feeling of foolishness or regret
3. Misled or taken advantage of, resulting in a mistaken belief or mistaken action

Etymology: The verb "chump" has an uncertain origin, which is itself a little surprising for a word used so commonly. One suggestion is that it blends "chunk" with "lump" or "stump," all of them words for a thick, heavy piece of something. Another proposal links it to "chub," a word for something chubby or thick, with a nasal sound added. Neither theory can be settled, so the trail stops at the word's sense of a blunt, solid lump. "Chump" is also linked to "chomp," which is a variant of "champ," meaning to bite. The idea of a clumsy, heavy mouthful sits behind the two senses that followed: a lump of wood or meat, and later a dull or gullible person who is easily taken in. To be tricked into losing, as in the verb form "chumped," builds on that gullible sense. Someone who has been chumped has been handled like a dupe, handed a defeat they did not see coming.