Alternative to trumped

Personally, the word trump/trumped is overshadowed by ugly American politics and I would prefer not to write/speak it unless absolutely necessary.

I see the comments saying that no one would associate the two meanings within a given context and that it is pointless to try and substitute a word that has been used for a long time, but I just don't want to use it. It has too much meaning for me and I do not want to write it down.

Consider the following sentence:

Miguel's hand revealed that he had indeed trumped Jack's queen of spades.

What would a good alternative to trumped be?

I have looked at and ruled out all the following potential synonyms:

• outclass

Definition:

to surpass in excellence or quality, especially by a wide margin; be superior

Reasoning:

Cards aren't superior to each other.

• upstage

Definition:

to draw attention away from.

Reasoning:

The cards aren't drawing attention away from each other.

• eclipse

Definition:

If one thing is eclipsed by a second thing that is bigger, newer, or more important than it, the first thing is no longer noticed because the second thing gets all the attention.

Reasoning:

The cards aren't drawing attention away from each other.

• surpass

Definition:

to become better, greater, or stronger than.

Reasoning:

The cards aren't better, greater, or stronger than each other.

• outdo

Definition:

to surpass in execution or performance.

Reasoning:

Cards can not surpass each other, nor can they surpass in execution or performance.

• outperform

Definition:

to do well in a particular job or activity compared to others of a similar type.

Reasoning:

Cards can do well in a job or activity because they don't have any. They are only objects.

So what word should I use instead of trumped?

Solution 1:

In a gaming context (especially poker and other card games, as you seem to be implying), I would recommend outrank. Cards and hands have ranks and typically the winning card is based on the relative rankings.

From Merriam-Webster:

Outrank
transitive verb
1: to rank higher than
2: to exceed in importance

However, in the context of bridge (if that is what you are talking about), you don't really have any good options. The trump suit has that name and you can't really change it anymore than you can rename the king in chess.

Solution 2:

Etymologically, the word trump in card games was derived from the word triumph, which was used for the same purpose before trump. So you could just use four-century old lingo, and say triumph.

Semantically, it makes as much sense as any of your other suggestions, and it sounds similar, so it will be easier to remember.