tampon
Americannoun
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tampons
plural
-
a plug of cotton or the like for insertion into an orifice, wound, etc., chiefly for absorbing blood or stopping hemorrhages.
-
such a plug used for absorbing menstrual flow, especially one that is manufactured commercially.
-
a two-headed drumstick for playing rolls.
verb (used with object)
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tampons,
present (3rd person singular)
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tamponed,
past participle, past
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tamponing
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tamponsimple
-
tamponssimple
-
have tamponedperfect
-
has tamponedperfect
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am tamponingprogressive
-
are tamponingprogressive
-
is tamponingprogressive
-
have been tamponingperfect progressive
-
has been tamponingperfect progressive
Past
-
tamponedsimple
-
had tamponedperfect
-
was tamponingprogressive
-
were tamponingprogressive
-
had been tamponingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tampon
From French, dating back to 1855–60; see origin at 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.
See Examples For:
The European Commission—the EU’s executive arm—said Tuesday that the sale fully addresses officials’ earlier concerns that the deal could hinder competition in tampon markets in Czech Republic, Estonia, and Slovakia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
I got my period and asked a woman in the train station for a tampon.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2024
It's childish and weird to act like even looking at a tampon box will emasculate you.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2024
Papan said there is no cost associated with the bill and that it could generate funding for the state by collecting fines from tampon producers found in violation of the new law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
Never have tampon strings seemed so beautiful as they rolled up and down with the wind, landing on the ground and then twirling and floating up again, falling and rising and falling and rising.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
It didn’t work: By early this year many sections of the bridge were littered with locks and other rubbish, including unused tampons, a foot influencer’s single sock and a pill bottle with a Hungarian label.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
Some may ask for menstrual hygiene products, like pads and tampons.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2026
Every day, 2.5 million tampons are flushed down the toilet when they should be placed in a bin.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025
One woman I interviewed who struggled with infertility threw herself a menopause party complete with tampons wrapped in ribbons and women telling their first period and menopause stories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2025
“Walk into any drugstore. Makeup and candy up front, tampons and condoms in the back, by the pharmacy, close to the allergy and flu medications.”
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
The trachea must be divided and tamponed by a Trendelenburg canula, after which the larynx must be carefully dissected out.
From A Manual of the Operations of Surgery For the Use of Senior Students, House Surgeons, and Junior Practitioners by Joseph Bell
The after-treatment consists in tamponing the wound with pledgets of iodoform gauze or a mixture of iodoform 1 part and glycerin 4 parts.
From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
