tamper
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
to meddle, especially for the purpose of altering, damaging, or misusing (usually followed bywith ).
Someone has been tampering with the lock.
- Synonyms:
- interfere
-
to make changes in something, especially in order to falsify (usually followed bywith ).
to tamper with official records.
-
to engage secretly or improperly in something.
-
to engage in underhand or corrupt dealings, especially in order to influence improperly (usually followed bywith ).
Any lawyer who tries to tamper with a jury should be disbarred.
noun
verb
-
(usually foll by with) to interfere or meddle
-
to use corrupt practices such as bribery or blackmail
-
(usually foll by with) to attempt to influence or corrupt, esp by bribery
to tamper with the jury
noun
-
a person or thing that tamps, esp an instrument for packing down tobacco in a pipe
-
a casing around the core of a nuclear weapon to increase its efficiency by reflecting neutrons and delaying the expansion
Other Word Forms
- tamperer noun
- untampered adjective
Etymology
Origin of tamper1
First recorded in 1560–70; probably variant of temper (verb)
Origin of tamper2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When agents go rogue, they can tamper with or delete valuable files.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
Law enforcement on Tuesday released photos and video of a masked individual appearing to tamper with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door on the morning of her disappearance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
Recorded at 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1, they show an individual, wearing a balaclava, gloves and a backpack, appearing to tamper with the camera at Guthrie’s front porch the morning of her disappearance.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
The new passports will also feature updated security features, the Home Office said, including the latest anti-forgery technology - making them "harder to forge or tamper with".
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025
I gave it up, I really didn't need to know their contents and it would not be honorable or safe to tamper with Dr. Bledsoe.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
