tamp
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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.
Companies including Lyft, DaVita and GitLab are navigating the challenge of AI agent proliferation—hoping to tamp down on the problem without discouraging AI use, they told The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
The additions won’t do much to tamp down the steady rise in gasoline prices, either.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
In Southern California, strong El Niños increase the likelihood of wet winters that replenish water supplies and tamp down wildfire risk but can also unleash flooding, debris flows and coastal erosion.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
The approaching rainy season offers some relief as storms tamp down temperatures.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
Akira tried to tamp down the panic rising inside her.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
