stomp
Americanverb (used with object)
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stomps,
present (3rd person singular)
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stomped,
past participle, past
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stomping
present participle
verb (used without object)
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stomps,
present (3rd person singular)
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stomped,
past participle, past
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stomping
present participle
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to dance the stomp.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stompsimple
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stompssimple
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have stompedperfect
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has stompedperfect
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am stompingprogressive
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are stompingprogressive
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is stompingprogressive
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have been stompingperfect progressive
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has been stompingperfect progressive
Past
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stompedsimple
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had stompedperfect
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was stompingprogressive
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were stompingprogressive
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had been stompingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stomp
First recorded in 1820–30; variant of stamp
Explanation
When you stomp, you thud your feet down heavily as you walk. An angry teenager might stomp down the hall and slam the door to his room. A little boy in big cowboy boots might stomp around the house enjoying the sound of his heels against the floor, and an awkward marching band could stomp heavily down the street playing the theme from "Rocky." You can also use the word stomp to describe a specific kind of stamping dance. This meaning has been around since about 1912, from popular jazz slang. The earlier stomp was simply a variation on the word 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:
Music is embedded in our brains and in our bodies, expressed with every rhythmic breath and step we take, each time we clap our hands, stomp our feet, beat our chests, whistle, hum or sing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
The new record appeared to be following suit, with The Daily Telegraph's chief music critic Neil McCormick saying the band were "back with a pile-driving blues stomp".
From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026
Ones who’d stomp their feet above my bedroom at odd hours of the night or who’d block my parking garage without warning every time they had guests over.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Martin’s current fixation is muscling New Yorkers out of affordable housing to stomp a permanent boot print onto Manhattan.
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2025
Who wouldn’t want to watch the foam missile soar a hundred feet into the sky, simply from the power of my stomp and a blast of air?
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
In his bedroom, Salmon growls and stomps around.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
This is most clearly shown in Gene Kelly’s dance in the rain where he stomps in puddles and spins his umbrella.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
It is here the wrestlers, known as rikishi, will perform their leg stomps to drive away evil spirits, and where they will clap to get the attention of the gods.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2025
He stomps the board twice with his foot until it appears to split in two.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2025
My sister slumps her shoulders and stomps up the stairs, exaggerating every footfall.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
An alumnus stomped down the road in his blazer to St John’s to retrieve the plate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Houston never got closer as the NBA’s best clutch team — the Lakers were 22-8 in tight quarters — put their foot down and stomped out any Rockets hope.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Last week, a small section of CNN and Variety’s February town hall interview with Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey broke the internet’s door down and stomped into the public consciousness.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2026
After a dreadful service game handed an immediate second-set break to Svitolina, Sabalenka glared at her team, stomped to her seat and then broke back at the first opportunity.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
The dozen younger alpacas around them lowered their heads as their papa alpaca stomped on the mound of grass.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Revisiting his home away from home, the Roxy Theatre, in the fall of 2025, Curry said it had become “my stomping ground.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Speaking with Realtor.com about the expansion, Serhant reveals that choosing the Lone Star State as the brokerage’s new stomping grounds was “strategic.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
It's just a stone's throw from Asbury Park, the once blue-collar coastal town that was the icon's stomping ground and shaped his musical identity.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
“You bring a gun into the District, you mark my words, you’re going to jail,” Jeanine Pirro said in an appearance on her old stomping grounds at Fox News.
From Slate ● Feb. 7, 2026
Jake’s mom was stomping her feet on the risers in total “We Will Rock You” rhythm, leading the thunderous crowd.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
