stamp
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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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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. Also called 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.
Related Words
See abolish.
Other Word Forms
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.
Appeared in the April 18, 2026, print edition as 'Abel Puts Stamp on Berkshire In 100 Days'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
“It matters to him because Trump is a product of popular culture,” Stamp said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
By January 1964, less than two months after his assassination, the program included 380,000 participants scattered across 22 states, becoming permanent later that year with the passage of the Food Stamp Act.
From Salon • Jan. 4, 2026
Stamp duty is a tax paid by most home buyers in England and Northern Ireland, with Scotland and Wales having similar levies, but its future has been the subject of much speculation.
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025
He had been a participant during most, if not all, of the crucial moments from the Stamp Act crisis in 1765 to his own retirement from the presidency in 1801.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
