What does "trump" mean?

Trump: A winning card; one of a particular suit (usually determined by chance for each deal) any card of which takes any card of the other suits.

Additional senses

  1. 2.An old game with cards, nearly the same as whist; -- called also ruff. Decker.
  2. 3.A good fellow; an excellent person. [Slang] Alfred is a trump, I think you say. Thackeray. To put to one's trumps, or To put on one's trumps, to force to the last expedient, or to the utmost exertion. But when kings come so low as to fawn upon philosophy, which before they neither valued nor understood, it is a sign that fails not, they are then put to their last trump. Milton. Put the housekeeper to her trumps to accommodate them. W. Irving.
  3. 4.To play a trump card when one of another suit has been led.
  4. 5.To play a trump card upon; to take with a trump card; as, she trumped the first trick.
  5. 6.To trick, or impose on; to deceive. [Obs.] "To trick or trump mankind." B. Jonson.
  6. 7.To impose unfairly; to palm off. Authors have been trumped upon us. C. Leslie. To trump up, to devise; to collect with unfairness; to fabricate; as, to trump up a charge.

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