stampede

1 of 2

noun

stam·​pede (ˌ)stam-ˈpēd 

1

: a wild headlong rush or flight of frightened animals

2

: a mass movement of people at a common impulse

3

: an extended festival combining a rodeo with exhibitions, contests, and social events

stampede

2 of 2

verb

stampeded; stampeding

transitive verb

1

: to cause to run away in headlong panic

2

: to cause (a group or mass of people) to act on sudden or rash impulse

intransitive verb

1

: to flee headlong in panic

2

: to act on mass impulse

stampeder noun

Examples of stampede in a Sentence

Noun

a stampede to the exits

a stampede to buy the stock

a stampede of new applicants

Verb

People stampeded to the exits.

The gunshot stampeded the cattle.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Fortune 500 Companies Are Racing Into Stablecoins The corporate stampede started with the biggest names in America. —Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

And, after the advent of China’s DeepSeek—proving AI can become cheaper and more efficient—could the stampede for power be built on a bubble? —Delaney Nolan, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025

Verb

The hilariously surreal visual of 17 children stampeding through suburbia like a herd of angry elephants with murderous intent required some clever cinematic trickery. —Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Today’s win secures her status as the best player in the sport since Serena Williams stampeded to 23 Grand Slam titles. —Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 12 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

American Spanish estampida, from Spanish, crash, from estampar to stamp, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German stampfōn to stamp

First Known Use

Noun

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1838, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for stampede

• accede
• agreed
• airspeed
• alkyd
• bindweed
• chickweed
• concede
• decreed
• duckweed
• exceed
• flaxseed
• impede

Kids Definition

stampede

1 of 2 noun

stam·​pede stam-ˈpēd 

1

: a wild rush or flight of frightened animals

2

: a sudden movement of a crowd of people

stampede

2 of 2 verb

stampeded; stampeding

1

: to run away or cause (as cattle) to run away in panic

2

: to act together or cause to act together suddenly and without thought

Etymology

Noun

from a word in the Spanish of Mexico and the American Southwest, estampida "stampede," from Spanish estampida "a crash, loud noise," from estamper "to pound, stamp"