chump

Definition

An incompetent person, a blockhead; a loser.

Etymology

Origin uncertain; probably a blend of chunk and lump or stump, or perhaps a nasalised variant of chub (“someone chubby, something thick”). Compare Icelandic kubbur (“block of wood, chip (computing)”), Old Norse kumbr for kubbr (“block of wood”), English chop.

Example Sentences

• "That chump wouldn't know his ass from a hole in the ground."
• "What chumps! Didn’t they realize that all they had to do was interpret the constitutional term “the Legislature” to mean “the people”?"
• "It shouldn't be hard to put one over on that chump."