stamping ground

or stomping ground

noun

1. a habitual or favorite haunt.

stamping ground

noun

1. a habitual or favourite meeting or gathering place

Word History and Origins

Origin of stamping ground¹

First recorded in 1780–90

Idioms and Phrases

Also, old stamping ground . A habitual or favorite haunt, as in Whenever we visit, we go back to our old stamping ground, the drugstore nearest the high school . This term alludes to a traditional gathering place for horses or cattle, which stamp down the ground with their hooves. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

He sold out to Senator Swink and others and moved on to Chicago, his early stamping ground.

From Project Gutenberg

Longing to see you again and the dear old stamping-ground at Heavy Tree.

From Project Gutenberg

Reaching the stamping-ground, my boy, I beheld a scene at once unique and impressive.

From Project Gutenberg

The Diablerets are the very stamping-ground of dwarfs, gnomes, and dragons.

From Project Gutenberg

A lost soul in every sense of the word, the North was to him a refuge and an unrestricted stamping-ground.

From Project Gutenberg