wumpus

W4U1M3P3U1S1
/ˈwʌmpəs/

noun

A fictional reclusive monster.

UncommonScrabble 13
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Meanings

nounwumpus (plural wumpuses or wumpi)

plural wumpuses · plural wumpi

  1. A fictional reclusive monster.

    A scream occurs when the agent shoots an arrow that kills the wumpus.

    2003, Selmer Bringsjord, Michael John Zenzen, Superminds: People Harness Hypercomputation, and More
    2 more examples

    In addition to the Wumpus, other dangers are lurking: namely deadly pits, and bats that grab the player and drop her in a random cave.

    1987, Etienne Wenger, Artificial Intelligence and Tutoring Systems

    In Hunter, towards the end of the game, the player is tracking the wounded wumpus and finds herself in a room of interconnected caves.

    2008, Andreas Jahn-Sudmann, Ralf Stockmann, Computer Games as a Sociocultural Phenomenon

Origin

Coined in an early text-based computer game, Hunt the Wumpus (published 1973).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

wumpus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wumpus

MLA

“wumpus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wumpus. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wumpus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wumpus.

Source: wumpus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.