ramp

¹ American  

[ramp] / ræmp /

noun

1. a sloping surface connecting two levels; incline.

2. a short concave slope or bend, as one connecting the higher and lower parts of a staircase railing at a landing.

3. any extensive sloping walk or passageway.

4. the act of ramping.

5. Also called boarding ramp.  a movable staircase for entering or leaving a cabin door of an airplane.

6. Also called parking ramp.  apron.

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verb (used without object)

ramps, present (3rd person singular) ramped, past participle, past ramping present participle

1. to rise or grow steadily; climb.

   The private debt crisis is due partly to insanely ramping student loan debt.

   Here are my top 10 tips for ramping quickly in a new sales role.

2. Chiefly British. to rush or dash about (usually followed by about oraround ).

   No need to go ramping around to different plant nurseries—we have the perfect soil mix right here.

   Our littlest guests can enjoy themselves ramping about the adventure playroom.

3. to act or move about wildly or furiously; rage; storm (often followed by about oraround ).

   If it were me ramping and raging in here like that, you'd call security to escort me out.

4. (of a lion or other large quadruped on a coat of arms) to be depicted in a stylized way, standing on the hind legs with forelegs raised.

   The green ramping lion on the silver shield is taken from the Shireburn coat of arms.

5. (of an animal) to stand or move with the forelegs raised, as in animosity or excitement; rear.

   The painting shows Napoleon astride a ramping horse.

   The author vividly describes the angry bear ramping from side to side.

verb (used with object)

ramps, present (3rd person singular) ramped, past participle, past ramping present participle

1. to provide with a ramp or ramps.

   Entrances will be ramped to accommodate those in wheelchairs.

2. to increase or raise in amount, intensity, extent, etc., especially steadily; build.

   They’ve come up with a plan to ramp national production of renewable energy.

   Suddenly, after a barrage of wordy lyrics, she ramps the song into soaring gospel mode.

3. British. to buy up (shares) in order to generate demand and increase the share price, with the fraudulent intention of quickly selling afterward.

   The bank's brokers have been accused of ramping shares in a mining company.

verb phrase

1. ramp up. see ramp-up.

2. ramp along to sail on a tack with all sails filled.

ramp ² American  

[ramp] / ræmp /

noun

1. a wild onion, Allium tricoccum, of the amaryllis family, of eastern North America, having flat leaves and rounded clusters of whitish flowers; eaten raw or used as a flavoring in cooked foods.

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ramp British  

/ ræmp /

noun

1. a sloping floor, path, etc, that joins two surfaces at different levels

2. a movable stairway by which passengers enter and leave an aircraft

3. the act of ramping

4. slang a swindle, esp one involving exorbitant prices

5. another name for sleeping policeman

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verb

1. (intr; often foll by about or around) (esp of animals) to rush around in a wild excited manner

2. to act in a violent or threatening manner, as when angry (esp in the phrase ramp and rage )

3. (tr) finance to buy (a security) in the market with the object of raising its price and enhancing the image of the company behind it for financial gain

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unramped
  adjective
• rampingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• ramping
  present
• ramped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• ramp
  simple
• ramps
  simple
• have ramped
  perfect
• has ramped
  perfect
• am ramping
  progressive
• are ramping
  progressive
• is ramping
  progressive
• have been ramping
  perfect progressive
• has been ramping
  perfect progressive

Past

• ramped
  simple
• had ramped
  perfect
• was ramping
  progressive
• were ramping
  progressive
• had been ramping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will ramp
  simple
• will have ramped
  perfect
• will be ramping
  progressive
• will have been ramping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of ramp¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; (for the verb) Middle English ra(u)mpen “to creep, crawl, climb,” from Old French ramper, ranper “to creep, crawl, climb”; (for the noun) from French rampe, derivative of ramper, ranper

Origin of ramp²

First recorded in 1820–30; back formation from ramps, ramson, variant (with intrusive p ) of rams, earlier rammys, originally the singular of ramson

Explanation

A ramp is a slope or an incline, a surface that tilts from one level to another. Someone using a wheelchair might need a ramp to get from the doorway of a building down to its parking lot. A skateboarder might use a ramp to gather speed, while a man pushing a stroller uses it to push his baby onto the sidewalk after crossing the street. Passengers also walk down ramps when they exit boats and trains. There's also the plant called a ramp, also known as wild onion or wild garlic. As a verb, to ramp means to provide with a ramp, but the more common "to ramp up" means "to increase."

Example Sentences

The new law will also require Uber to ramp up background checks of its drivers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026

The arena has a separate private entrance and ramp where celebrities can enter.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Watch for more top-tier customers beyond Meta, as well as hard data behind the high-bandwidth-compute claims and whether the fiscal 2027 ramp actually arrives on schedule.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 25, 2026

Economists and oil industry experts say this is unlikely, as it will take months to ramp production back up to normal levels and to resume regular traffic through the Strait.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

But instead of the ramp like before, the entrance is covered by a metal tunnel-port into the shuttle which has been moved from its dark corner, just like Ben said it would be.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Related Words

• slope