Trump something
Meaning
To surpass, outshine, or decisively defeat something or someone, often with a superior quality or action.
Origin
Imagine the hushed tension of a 16th-century card game, where fortunes could turn on a single play. From the French word triomphe, meaning a victorious card, the English adopted "trump" to name a special suit that held absolute power, capable of beating any card from another suit. When a player laid down a trump, all other cards withered, signaling a definitive victory. This decisive, unchallengeable power of the trump card leaped from the gaming table into everyday language, cementing its place as a verb for definitively surpassing or outsmarting any rival.
Examples
- The company's innovative new product managed to trump all its competitors in market share within months.
- His undeniable charm and quick wit always seem to trump any arguments against him in a debate.