tamp
Americanverb (used with object)
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tamps,
present (3rd person singular)
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tamped,
past participle, past
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tamping
present participle
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to force in or down by repeated, rather light, strokes.
He tamped the tobacco in his pipe.
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(in blasting) to fill (a drilled hole) with earth or the like after the charge has been inserted.
verb
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to force or pack down firmly by repeated blows
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to pack sand, earth, etc into (a drill hole) over an explosive
verb
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(tr) to bounce (a ball)
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to pour with rain
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tampsimple
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tampssimple
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have tampedperfect
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has tampedperfect
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am tampingprogressive
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are tampingprogressive
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is tampingprogressive
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have been tampingperfect progressive
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has been tampingperfect progressive
Past
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tampedsimple
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had tampedperfect
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was tampingprogressive
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were tampingprogressive
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had been tampingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tamp
First recorded in 1810–20; perhaps alteration of tampion
Explanation
To tamp is to push or pack down a loose or granular material. If you work as a barista, you'll learn to tamp espresso grounds before running hot water through them. Before a road is paved or a patio is laid out, workers will tamp gravel to provide a sturdy, level base. Old-fashioned, muzzle-loading guns had to be filled with gunpowder, which the user would need to tamp firmly before firing. The tool used to do the tamping is sometimes also called a tamp.
Vocabulary lists containing tamp
The Birchbark House
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The Odyssey
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Prairie Lotus
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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:
As the search continued for the 86 people presumed missing, coast guard, military personnel and local responders were working to tamp down the thick smoke billowing from the ferry.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Alex Clark, a popular podcast host in the Turning Point USA network, has also been struggling to tamp down her anger over this.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Peter’s inner despair gets externalized when he invents a genetic inhibitor neck implant to tamp down his sensitivity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
In May, President Trump said the U.S. would release up to 172 million barrels worth of that oil to help tamp down prices during one of the world’s worst energy disruptions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
But Phineas and his assistant have done this a thousand times—pour the powder, set the fuse, pour the sand, tamp the sand plug, shout a warning, light the fuse, and run like mad.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
As the lack of workforce tamps down business growth, fewer U.S.-born workers are hired as a result.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
“Seeing all the results tamps down their unrealistic expectations,” he said, as they conclude for themselves that they need to rethink their retirement timetable.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2025
As the job market weakens, paycheck growth slows, which further tamps down buying.
From New York Times ● Jun. 21, 2022
To understand how the body can fuel intense exercise or fight off disease without busting energy limits, Pontzer and his students are exploring how the body tamps down other activities.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 16, 2022
This, together with the ashes which are thrown in, the master or the assistant, who, upon his knees, prepares the crucible, tamps down with short wooden rammers and with mallets likewise made of wood.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
A mission in southern Iraq had tamped down tribal warfare and insurgency without bloodshed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh, for his part, has emphasized that inflation must be tamped down, but he has declined to specify how exactly the central bank is likely to handle stubborn price increases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Redfin’s weekly data suggest that last week’s surge in rates tamped down on demand.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
But mostly they tamped down speculation about a rift in their partnership.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026
As I swiped the ATM card, I tamped down the knowledge that my funds would run out.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has sent investors a message: When it comes to tamping down inflation, he means business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Narrow majorities support both of these proposals, creating a quandary for wealth tax supporters: ensuring their proposal receives the support of a majority of voters while also tamping down support for the competing efforts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
It also has a core economic interest in tamping conflict with Iran to keep oil and gas flowing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
In its obituary, the William F. Buckley-founded National Review praised the former secretary of state as a man who spent his life tamping down turmoil.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
The fat end of his tamping iron slips down into the hole and strikes the granite.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
