tamper
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
to meddle, especially for the purpose of altering, damaging, or misusing (usually followed bywith ).
Someone has been tampering with the lock.
- Synonyms:
- interfere
-
to make changes in something, especially in order to falsify (usually followed bywith ).
to tamper with official records.
-
to engage secretly or improperly in something.
-
to engage in underhand or corrupt dealings, especially in order to influence improperly (usually followed bywith ).
Any lawyer who tries to tamper with a jury should be disbarred.
noun
verb
-
(usually foll by with) to interfere or meddle
-
to use corrupt practices such as bribery or blackmail
-
(usually foll by with) to attempt to influence or corrupt, esp by bribery
to tamper with the jury
noun
-
a person or thing that tamps, esp an instrument for packing down tobacco in a pipe
-
a casing around the core of a nuclear weapon to increase its efficiency by reflecting neutrons and delaying the expansion
Other Word Forms
- tamperer noun
- untampered adjective
Etymology
Origin of tamper1
First recorded in 1560–70; probably variant of temper (verb)
Origin of tamper2
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.
Follow NFL free agency, starting with the ‘legal tampering’ period that began Monday morning.
From Los Angeles Times
The league’s so-called legal tampering period started Monday at 9 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times
Iran will emerge from the conflict with severely degraded land, air and sea capabilities, and its regional ambitions tampered.
No one was hurt in the fire and no charges were pressed, but Tony said he now wants more 'sparks' to stop the tampering.
From BBC
“If I have instincts I feel are right, I don’t want anyone to tamper with them,” he told After Dark magazine in 1973.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
