pamper
Americanverb (used with object)
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to treat or gratify with extreme or excessive indulgence, kindness, or care.
to pamper a child; to pamper one's stomach.
- Antonyms:
- discipline
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Archaic. to overfeed, especially with very rich food; glut.
verb
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to treat with affectionate and usually excessive indulgence; coddle; spoil
-
archaic to feed to excess
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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pamperednessnoun
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pamperernoun
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overpamperverb (used with object)
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self-pamperedadjective
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self-pamperingadjective
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unpamperedadjective
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pamperedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pampersimple
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pamperssimple
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have pamperedperfect
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has pamperedperfect
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am pamperingprogressive
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are pamperingprogressive
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is pamperingprogressive
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have been pamperingperfect progressive
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has been pamperingperfect progressive
Past
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pamperedsimple
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had pamperedperfect
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was pamperingprogressive
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were pamperingprogressive
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had been pamperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pamper
1350–1400; Middle English pamperen < Middle Dutch; compare Dutch dialect pamperen
Explanation
When you pamper your dog, you spoil him. You might pamper him by feeding him cubes of cheese and knitting him a little sweater and letting him sleep in your bed under the covers. Some people love to pamper their pets, cooking them special food and buying them expensive collars and toys. To pamper goes beyond kind treatment, bordering on overindulgence or coddling. People also like to pamper themselves from time to time, getting a massage or a manicure, or otherwise being treated indulgently. The word pamper originally meant "to cram with food," most likely from a Middle Dutch root meaning "to cram."
Vocabulary lists containing pamper
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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.
See Examples For:
While groundskeepers in Europe can pamper pitches until they look like Augusta National, all of the U.S. stadiums hosting World Cup matches are designed for American football, which typically features artificial turf.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2025
“There’s a reason we pamper our garden plants,” Herrera says.
From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024
As has often been reported, current A.I. software has a tendency to pamper its users, to supply whatever answers they seem to be seeking.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2023
New cars and trucks are packed with sensors and technology that protect and pamper drivers and passengers.
From New York Times ● Jul. 3, 2023
There is not enough power in the country even to keep the lights on in Pyongyang, where the government tries to pamper the elite.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
“People were looking for pampers and could not find them,” she said from the whirring workshop in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
Best extras: The limited edition release completely pampers hardcore fans with an abundance of both digital and hard copy goodies.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 2, 2021
The sanctions include a more explicit ban on the sale of luxury goods, with which the regime pampers its senior officials: no more snowmobiles or fancy watches.
From Economist ● Mar. 3, 2016
But in every other respect, the company pampers its men.
From Time Magazine Archive
He and his second wife, June, live in Wyckoff, a New Jersey suburb where he pampers fig trees and dutifully looks after a bird feeder shaped like the Parthenon.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Chinese consumers haven’t suddenly become obsessed with cute toys or pampered pets.
From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026
I left feeling completely pampered and ready for a nap.
From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026
“Best in Show” is set inside the competitive world of dog shows and follows a handful of stage parents who enter their pampered canines in competitions around the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
According to new scientific evidence, the shift from wild hunter to pampered pet happened much more recently than previously thought - and in a different place.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2025
She pampered my ungrateful children, and resented us utterly.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
But the secret behind his emergence as the best young shooter of all time had nothing to do with careful pampering of his budding virtuosity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
They work 24/7 at high speeds and get searingly hot - but data centre computer chips get plenty of pampering.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
Peace of mind, pampering, and convenience have a price—and if your longtime doctor switches to a concierge service, it may well be worth it.
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2025
On the pampering end, dog spas and private practitioners offer massage, reiki meditation, inflammation-fighting red light therapy and skin and nail treatments, such as deluxe “pawdicures.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
Months of pampering and the ridicule of my cousins had turned me inward.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
