stamp
Americanverb (used with object)
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stamps,
present (3rd person singular)
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stamped,
past participle, past
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stamping
present participle
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to strike or beat with a forcible, downward thrust of the foot.
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to bring (the foot) down forcibly or smartly on the ground, floor, etc.
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to extinguish, crush, etc., by striking with a forcible downward thrust of the foot (followed byout ).
to stamp out a fire.
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to suppress or quell (a rebellion, uprising, etc.) quickly through the use of overwhelming force (usually followed byout ).
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to crush or pound with or as with a pestle.
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to impress with a particular mark or device, as to indicate genuineness, approval, or ownership.
to stamp a document with a seal.
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to mark or impress with a design, word, mark, etc..
Age stamped his face with lines.
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to impress (a design, word, mark, etc.) on.
to stamp one's initials on a document.
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to affix a postage stamp to (a letter, envelope, etc.).
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to characterize, distinguish, or reveal.
His ingenuity with words stamped him as a potential poet.
verb (used without object)
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stamps,
present (3rd person singular)
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stamped,
past participle, past
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stamping
present participle
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to bring the foot down forcibly or smartly, as in crushing something, expressing rage, etc.
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to walk with forcible or heavy, resounding steps.
He stamped out of the room in anger.
noun
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stamps
plural
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a postage stamp.
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an act or instance of stamping.
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a die or block for impressing or imprinting.
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a design or legend made with such a die or block.
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an official mark indicating genuineness, validity, etc., or payment of a duty or charge.
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a peculiar or distinctive impression or mark.
a great man who left his stamp on legal procedure.
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character, kind, or type.
a woman of serious stamp.
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an official seal or device appearing on a business or legal document to show that a tax has been paid.
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Also called local, local stamp. such a device, often similar to a postage stamp issued by a private organization to show that the charges for mail carrying have been paid.
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an instrument for stamping, crushing, or pounding.
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a heavy piece of iron or the like, as in a stamp mill, for crushing ore or other material.
verb
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to bring (the foot) down heavily (on the ground, etc)
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(intr) to walk with heavy or noisy footsteps
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to repress, extinguish, or eradicate
he stamped on any criticism
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(tr) to impress or mark (a particular device or sign) on (something)
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to mark (something) with an official impress, seal, or device
to stamp a passport
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(tr) to fix or impress permanently
the date was stamped on her memory
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(tr) to affix a postage stamp to
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(tr) to distinguish or reveal
that behaviour stamps him as a cheat
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to pound or crush (ores, etc)
noun
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the act or an instance of stamping
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See postage stamp
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a mark applied to postage stamps for cancellation purposes
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a similar piece of gummed paper used for commercial or trading purposes
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a block, die, etc, used for imprinting a design or device
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a design, device, or mark that has been stamped
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a characteristic feature or trait; hallmark
the story had the stamp of authenticity
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a piece of gummed paper or other mark applied to official documents to indicate payment of a fee, validity, ownership, etc
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informal a national insurance contribution, formerly recorded by means of a stamp on an official card
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type or class
we want to employ men of his stamp
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an instrument or machine for crushing or pounding ores, etc, or the pestle in such a device
Usage
What else does stamp mean? Content warning: the following content includes references to illicit drugs. In slang, stamp can refer to LSD (acid) or a bag of heroin. It can also be short for food stamps or the expression stamp of approval.
Synonym Usage
See abolish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prestampnoun
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stampernoun
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superstampnoun
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understampnoun
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restampverb
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misstampverb (used with object)
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understampverb (used with object)
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nonstampableadjective
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stampableadjective
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stamplessadjective
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unstampedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stampsimple
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stampssimple
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have stampedperfect
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has stampedperfect
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am stampingprogressive
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are stampingprogressive
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is stampingprogressive
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have been stampingperfect progressive
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has been stampingperfect progressive
Past
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stampedsimple
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had stampedperfect
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was stampingprogressive
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were stampingprogressive
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had been stampingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stamp
1150–1200; (v.) early Middle English stampen to pound, crush, probably continuing Old English *stampian (cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German stampen, Old High German stampfōn, Old Norse stappa ); sense development apparently influenced by Old French estamper to stamp < Germanic; (noun) late Middle English: instrument for stamping an impression; partly derivative of the v., partly < Old French estampe, derivative of estamper
Explanation
When you stamp, you step hard, either on the ground or on some object. If you're terrified of bugs, you might be tempted to stamp on a big, weird looking beetle. You can stamp your foot when you're angry, or stamp out a small campfire after you've finished toasting marshmallows. Another way to stamp is to apply a mark or pattern to something — you might stamp your classmates' hands with ink as they enter the school dance, or stamp your return address onto an envelope. Stamp comes from Middle English, with a Germanic root — it's closely related to the German word stampfen, or "stamp with the foot."
Vocabulary lists containing stamp
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:
"To put an end to illegal gold mining, we have to stamp out all forms of complicity," local official Gueu Georges Gombagui told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
“Therapists gave estrangement the professional, authoritative stamp of approval,” Doherty says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
"There's no stamp or anything on it, but I suppose they hadn't started stamping gold at that time."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
He has moved quickly to put his stamp on the center.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Constitution off a postage stamp, and when I got two weeks behind on that, I had two more weeks of newspapers to pick up.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
Peter Max, the pop artist and hippie icon who helped define the vibrant psychedelic style of the 1960s and whose work graced posters, album covers, T-shirts, dinnerware, postage stamps and beyond, has died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Postage stamps used to come apart with a string of muted pops, their perforations separating serially like tiny zippers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
These were not first responders, but they kept the city running by doing things like making sure hungry people got their food stamps.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Consumers also are more cautious about spending more on groceries amid inflation, a reduction in food stamps and rising gas prices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
He pulled out the boxes and spent several nights going through the papers, looking for “Top Secret” stamps he’d missed the first time through.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Nozell guaranteed Parton’s fans that if any unreleased music, products, books, experiences and campaigns are launched through the official Dolly Parton channel, each was personally stamped on by the singer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The model is stamped into the silicon during manufacturing, and it will never run anything else for as long as it exists.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
After StubHub moved its operations to Georgia, the destination shifted to an Atlanta post office box—but records reviewed by the Journal showed that some customers’ certified mail came back stamped “Vacant.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
When Diana Tupiza and Andres Alquinga decided to get married, they selected a rather unusual witness for the civil wedding ceremony: Luna, their Pekingese pup who stamped her paw print on the marriage certificate.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
And the drivers had worn dark suits, not navy blue windbreakers with the letters F, B, and I stamped on the back.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
"There's no stamp or anything on it, but I suppose they hadn't started stamping gold at that time."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
"And it may come relatively quickly. In workshops, including stamping, welding, and painting, we've basically achieved 100% automation."
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
He became an early-morning stocker, unloading trucks and stamping boxes with a label gun.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“They’re doing more than just stamping books or shushing everybody,” Kearney said.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
There was the sound of someone stamping snow off boots at the entrance of the inn.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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.
