pamper
Americanverb (used with object)
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pampers,
present (3rd person singular)
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pampered,
past participle, past
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pampering
present participle
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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
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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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Baseball in April
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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
The largest, which rents for $1,500 an hour, boasts heated marble floors, king- and queen-size beds, and “premium linens and towels to pamper the most discerning,” a charter listing says.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2023
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
"Lemekhani had so many plans. He was studying so he could come back and pamper my mother. He had plans to help rebuild Zambia. They've robbed us," she said.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2022
He was quite outspoken in his belief that it was a mistake for guides to pamper their clients.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
His family’s comfortable compound, the new trucks, the prize-winning rodeo bull he pampers in a pen behind his house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
“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
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
I do the same with a water bottle at home and it’s just as cooling — instantly — but the rose water’s delicious scent left me feeling especially pampered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The news business and its pampered stars must seem more trouble than they’re worth after l’affaire Pelley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
I left feeling completely pampered and ready for a nap.
From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026
"We pampered both pairs, of course," said Herve Basset, 60, who has spent more than half his life at Henry Jullien.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Rather, it translated into population explosions and pampered elites.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
I had a column to write on deadline and relished the idea of doing so in comfort with a side of pampering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 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
Some residents may see the massages as pampering, but others view it as an investment in themselves.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025
From extreme pampering to dog-friendly patios, Los Angeles is a dog town, no bones about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2025
What does he have to gain from this sort of pampering?
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
