# trumps

/ˈtɹəmps/ (US) · /tɹˈʌmps/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/trumps
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to be more important

verb · CEFR B2

to be better, stronger, or more important than something else.

For teachers: to surpass or outrank another factor in importance, power, or influence. Transitive — requires a direct object.

- In this emergency, safety trumps the need to save money.
- The legal team argued that the right to privacy trumps the public's curiosity in this specific instance.

### 2. to beat with a card

verb · CEFR B2

to play a special card that beats all other cards in a game.

For teachers: to play a card from the trump suit to win a trick, especially when another suit was led.

- She trumps his ace with a low spade to win the round.
- The player strategically trumps the lead card, securing the final trick needed to win the tournament.

### 3. the dominant card suit

noun · CEFR B2

the suit in a card game that is chosen to be higher than all others.

For teachers: the suit in a trick-taking game that outranks all other suits for the duration of a hand. Often used in the plural 'trumps' in British English.

- Hearts are trumps in this round, so be careful with your high cards.
- After the dealer turned over the king of clubs, it was established that clubs would be trumps for the remainder of the game.

### 4. tarot cards

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the special set of cards in a tarot deck that show pictures like 'The Sun' or 'Death'.

For teachers: the twenty-two major arcana cards in a tarot deck, distinguished from the minor arcana.

- The fortune teller laid out three trumps from the tarot deck.
- The scholar examined the iconography of the early Italian trumps to trace the evolution of the modern tarot deck.

## Examples

- Safety always trumps speed when we design new cars.
- In the final decision, the need for long-term sustainability trumps the desire for immediate profits.
- While the candidate's charisma was undeniable, the board decided that her lack of technical experience trumps any potential benefit her public image might bring to the firm.

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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.