trample
Americanverb (used without object)
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tramples,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trampled,
past participle, past
-
trampling
present participle
-
to tread or step heavily and noisily; stamp.
-
to tread heavily, roughly, or crushingly (usually followed by on, upon, orover ).
to trample on a flower bed.
-
to act in a harsh, domineering, or cruel manner, as if treading roughly (usually followed by on, upon, orover ).
to trample on another's feelings.
verb (used with object)
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tramples,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trampled,
past participle, past
-
trampling
present participle
-
to tread heavily, roughly, or carelessly on or over; tread underfoot.
-
to domineer harshly over; crush.
to trample law and order.
-
to put out or extinguish by trampling (usually followed byout ).
to trample out a fire.
noun
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the act of trampling.
-
the sound of trampling.
verb
-
to stamp or walk roughly (on)
to trample the flowers
-
to encroach (upon) so as to violate or hurt
to trample on someone's feelings
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tramplesimple
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tramplessimple
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have trampledperfect
-
has trampledperfect
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am tramplingprogressive
-
are tramplingprogressive
-
is tramplingprogressive
-
have been tramplingperfect progressive
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has been tramplingperfect progressive
Past
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trampledsimple
-
had trampledperfect
-
was tramplingprogressive
-
were tramplingprogressive
-
had been tramplingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of trample
1350–1400; Middle English tramplen to stamp (cognate with German trampeln ); see tramp, -le
Explanation
To trample is to forcefully walk right over something or someone. If you fall down during a footrace, another runner might trample you. When you trample, you're stomping or stamping: it's the opposite of walking on tippy toes. A dog might trample a flower garden while chasing a ball, and an angry child might deliberately trample her sister's sandcastle, flattening it with her feet. The verb trample comes from tramp, "walk heavily or stamp," which is rooted in the Middle Low German word trampen, "to tramp, stamp, or press upon."
Vocabulary lists containing trample
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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"When Cultures Meet"
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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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:
People in Guernsey are being asked to "track" not "trample" Asian hornets in an effort to protect public health and the island's biodiversity.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
It was hard squaring the hulking mass of midshipmen who would nearly trample me at Herndon with these two polite teenagers prone to nervous laughter.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
The FPA called on the police to "immediately take action against the officers involved in this unprovoked assault and to act in the future to safeguard press freedoms, rather than trample upon them."
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
Don’t trample or pick the flowers and stay on the paths because even barren ground could have seeds germinating beneath.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Rattling, jostling wagons, ahead of us and beside us, threaten to crash and trample.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Martinique official Serge Letchimy hailed a vote that he said had come "to shatter a system that tramples on the truth, absolves the guilty, and scorns the victims".
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
“We are not a nation that tramples the 4th Amendment and tolerates our neighbors being terrorized,” he said.
From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2026
This Superman is all impulsive energy, much like his unhousebroken puppy, who also wears a cape and tramples on things when he tries to help.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025
“It tramples on students’ rights,” Bonta told reporters.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 28, 2023
Rémy walks beside the chair as it tramples over lightly frosted ground.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
And he barred the hospital from “aiding and abetting” any other party that might ask for help from these courts, including the children whose rights will be trampled by disclosure of their records.
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
As for Serbia, the lead singer of rock band Lavina was so tortured by someone who "trampled on his heart" that he ended his song with a blood-curdling scream.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
From a standoff over a US Secret Service agent’s weapon to a US staffer trampled during a melee, tensions bubbled to the surface throughout Trump's visit to Beijing.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Crowds in recent years have damaged trails, trampled plants and clogged rural roads.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
He urged his mount forward until Penelope and Simon had no choice but to step aside or be trampled.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
"When I was on the floor, people were trampling me," the 30-year-old told the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Speaking about her daughters to the Telegraph in 2017, external, Law said: "They are both my colleagues in a way. They didn't follow in our footsteps, they rushed past us, trampling on us."
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
They were under strict instructions from Soils Solutions to avoid trampling the new lawn for six months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
He saw more trash, several guests going off trail and trampling plant life, and far fewer park rangers to tell them to stop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Meggie heard him trampling up the narrow wooden staircase that led to the attic.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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.
