stampede
Americannoun
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a sudden, frenzied rush or headlong flight of a herd of frightened animals, especially cattle or horses.
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any headlong general flight or rush.
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Western U.S., Canada. a celebration, usually held annually, combining a rodeo, contests, exhibitions, dancing, etc.
verb (used without object)
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to scatter or flee in a stampede.
People stampeded from the burning theater.
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to make a general rush.
On hearing of the sale, they stampeded to the store.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to stampede.
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to rush or overrun (a place).
Customers stampeded the stores.
noun
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an impulsive headlong rush of startled cattle or horses
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headlong rush of a crowd
a stampede of shoppers
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any sudden large-scale movement or other action, such as a rush of people to support a candidate
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a rodeo event featuring fairground and social elements
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stampedesimple
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stampedessimple
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have stampededperfect
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has stampededperfect
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am stampedingprogressive
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are stampedingprogressive
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is stampedingprogressive
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have been stampedingperfect progressive
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has been stampedingperfect progressive
Past
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stampededsimple
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had stampededperfect
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was stampedingprogressive
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were stampedingprogressive
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had been stampedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stampede
An Americanism first recorded in 1815–25; from Spanish estampida, equivalent to estamp(ar) “to stamp” + -ida noun suffix
Explanation
Do you see hundreds of cattle thundering toward you? Then stop reading and get out of there! A stampede is coming. Stampede is a word for animal behavior that fits people sometimes too. During the holidays, desperate parents might stampede the mall, especially the toy stores. Fans of a popular movie might stampede to get tickets. A stampede of teen girls can usually be found chasing the latest boy bands. Stampede can be a noun or a verb, but either way, look out!
Vocabulary lists containing stampede
Bud, Not Buddy
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Home of the Brave
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Stargirl
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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:
At his own stampede speech, Hogan called separatism "a poison" dividing families across the province.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
In the biography “Mick Jagger,” author Philip Norman described it as “a veritable stampede to the altar.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Then, right behind them, a stampede of men in UFC T-shirts: the Running of the Bros.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
The last major dispute erupted after one of the pilgrimage's biggest tragedies, in 2015, when 464 Iranians were among 2,300 pilgrims killed in a stampede, prompting recriminations between Riyadh and Tehran.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
Suddenly, like the stampede in that world of happy unawareness, came the news of Gaston's return.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The stampedes have been so intense that a number have been forced to institute caps on daily withdrawals.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 12, 2026
Deadly stampedes and crowd crushes are a common occurrence at big Indian gatherings and religious festivals.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2025
The deafening roar of the aircraft startled nearby livestock, sending cattle into panicked stampedes.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025
Human nature hasn’t changed enough since then to shield masses of people from being seduced and intimidated into servility and herd-like stampedes.
From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2025
Anger stampedes through me, hot and lively, and the muffled feeling around my ears falls away, making even this quiet Abnegation street sound loud.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Consumers have stampeded toward protein, and food-industry giants are chasing them with new product innovations.
From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026
Attendees stampeded, pushing and shoving and yelling as if there were one cake, not 1,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025
“Zootopia 2” has already stampeded past $1 billion to surpass its predecessor, and the awards nominations have just begun slithering in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
“All people are fallible, even a great president like Roosevelt. He got stampeded by the hysteria of the time, the racism of the time. And he signed Executive Order 9066,” Takei said.
From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2024
Clattering and yelling, the horde of moving statues stampeded past Harry: some of them smaller, others larger, than life.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Even the adults are too absorbed by their screens to notice a herd of dolls stampeding through a house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
The turmoil currently sweeping through the $3 trillion private credit market has investors stampeding out of the funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
For both England Under-20s and Sale's senior side, his stampeding line breaks have become a familiar sight.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2024
The thud snapped Seattle’s streak of six consecutive series wins, as the Mariners dropped three of four to a stampeding Twins team that has won 15 of their last 17 games.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
Collectively, as they scampered by in droves to claim empty trees deeper into the forest, they made more noise than a stampeding herd of elephants.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
