# draw stumps

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/draw-stumps
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To cease doing something, at least for the day.

## Examples

- We have worked long enough, so let's draw stumps for today.
- I am tired of painting this wall, so I draw stumps for the evening.
- You should draw stumps now before you get too frustrated with your homework.
- After twelve hours of intense negotiations, the team finally decided to draw stumps and resume the discussion tomorrow morning.
- The sun is going down and we can no longer see the garden tools, so it is probably time to draw stumps.
- Even though the project is not finished, the manager told the tired crew to draw stumps and go home to their families.
- Recognizing that their collective fatigue had rendered further progress impossible, the researchers chose to draw stumps and reconvene once they were properly rested.

## Origin

The idiom derives from the game of cricket, where a day’s play is terminated by the umpire drawing the stumps out of the ground. The physical removal of the equipment signals the official conclusion of the match, or its suspension for the evening, as the game cannot proceed once the wicket has been dismantled.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.