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.
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:
Recently, cookbook author and food-world oracle Alison Roman gave Loonen her social-media stamp of approval after discovering it at Two Bunch Palms hotel in Desert Hot Springs, Calif.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
But for Lurie, the argument that demand should inevitably lead to a stamp of approval falls short given the "extremely thin science."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
That outbreak has led to bigger questions about the U.S. health system’s ability to track and stamp out foodborne illnesses.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
In the upgraded version, each detected photon would receive its own precise time stamp.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
There, in the top right corner, exactly where it’s supposed to be, is a dark gray stamp.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Truelove was the subject of an in-depth profile in The Times in 2023, capturing his life as a homeless person on the streets of Torrance as he tried to obtain housing, food stamps and healthcare.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The pioneering work on the jet engine by Sir Frank Whittle has been celebrated with a new set of stamps from Royal Mail.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Those aircraft, along with six others, are all commemorated in the second set of stamps:
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
But any first-class “forever” stamps purchased before this weekend’s price hike will continue to be valid.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
And when she came on Saturdays, she'd always catch Cynthia marching around outside the front of the store—prompted by her grandfather—and Miss Fran would stick stamps on Cynthia's chubby cheeks and forehead.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
There have been calls for all AI-generated content to be clearly stamped but other users can then just re-edit the material removing the markings.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Seconds later, I was through security and riding in a Chevy Suburban with “P/S” stamped on the side.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
After Alquinga and Tupiza's ceremony, Luna stamped her paw on their marriage license, which also had the signatures of the couple -- and other human witnesses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Contrast that with Wright, whose exposure at the academy level helped him get stamped as one of the country’s top youth players, opening up professional opportunities before he was old enough to vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
He was a thing of the wild, come in from the wild to sit by John Thornton’s fire, rather than a dog of the soft Southland stamped with the marks of generations of civilization.
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
New Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh isn’t a stranger on Wall Street, but the mystery to investors is whether he’s as committed as he sounds to stamping out U.S. inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Advertisers included Bud Light, Polymarket, Crypto.com, and Dodge RAM trucks, each stamping its logo on the night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
“They’re doing more than just stamping books or shushing everybody,” Kearney said.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
On an account called "Fact Checker MOIB", Pakistan's Ministry of Information responded, stamping "propaganda" across a picture of the Taliban spokesman's post.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
The rhythmic stamping had already begun in the Lagerstrasse.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
