Word
trump card
Definition
compound. a secret advantage or a special resource that you keep hidden until you need it to win.
compound. a resource, argument, or piece of information that gives one a decisive advantage over an opponent. Derived from card games where a 'trump' suit outranks all others.
Examples
“She played her trump card and won the debate.”
“The lawyer kept the new witness as a trump card to use at the very end of the trial.”
“The company's secret patent proved to be the ultimate trump card in the hostile takeover negotiations.”
Examples
simple
“She played her trump card and won the debate.”
contextual
“The lawyer kept the new witness as a trump card to use at the very end of the trial.”
complex
“The company's secret patent proved to be the ultimate trump card in the hostile takeover negotiations.”
Usage
often used with the verbs 'play', 'have', or 'keep' to describe strategic advantage.
Teaching tip
explain the origin in trick-taking card games (like Bridge or Spades) where a trump card beats any card of another suit, regardless of its value.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/trump-card