trample
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to tread or step heavily and noisily; stamp.
-
to tread heavily, roughly, or crushingly (usually followed by on, upon, orover ).
to trample on a flower bed.
-
to act in a harsh, domineering, or cruel manner, as if treading roughly (usually followed by on, upon, orover ).
to trample on another's feelings.
verb (used with object)
-
to tread heavily, roughly, or carelessly on or over; tread underfoot.
-
to domineer harshly over; crush.
to trample law and order.
-
to put out or extinguish by trampling (usually followed byout ).
to trample out a fire.
noun
-
the act of trampling.
-
the sound of trampling.
verb
-
to stamp or walk roughly (on)
to trample the flowers
-
to encroach (upon) so as to violate or hurt
to trample on someone's feelings
noun
Other Word Forms
- trampler noun
- untrampled adjective
Etymology
Origin of trample
1350–1400; Middle English tramplen to stamp (cognate with German trampeln ); tramp, -le
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.
She nudged it aside with her shoulder, trampled over it without a glance, and moved on.
From Literature
When Chen’s father was a kid in the countryside of Gansu, China, he was involved in an accident where he was almost trampled by a horse-drawn cart.
From Los Angeles Times
“We are not a nation that tramples the 4th Amendment and tolerates our neighbors being terrorized,” he said.
From Salon
Bessent’s irritation over the probe stemmed in part from concerns that his delicate dancework to secure Powell’s eventual departure had been trampled on by colleagues who didn’t understand the steps, this person said.
You’ll remember a beloved cafe only to find it trampled out by a phone shop.
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.
