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
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.
Sal stews morosely amid bursts of threatening belligerence that Sonny tries to tamp down.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Kast has promised to moved fast to tamp down a surge in murders, kidnappings and extortion widely blamed on gangs from Venezuela and other Latin American countries.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
“Objective: get newspapers to stop calling you a pedophile and get the truth out; tamp down and ultimately stop the bad press; start generating positive press about your community involvement,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
The combination of an already-oversupplied oil market and U.S. efforts to potentially bring Venezuelan oil to the U.S. for refining could continue to tamp down those costs for drivers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
She knows full well what it’s like to tamp down your natural inclinations, to force a smile when you feel numb.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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.
