rub·ber-stamp
ˈrə-bər-ˈstamp 
rubber-stamped; rubber-stamping; rubber-stamps
1
: to approve, endorse, or dispose of as a matter of routine or at the command of another
They expect that Congress will rubber-stamp the proposal.
2
: to mark with a rubber stamp
1
: a stamp of rubber for making imprints
2
a
: a person who echoes or imitates others
b
: a mostly powerless yet officially recognized body or person that approves or endorses programs and policies initiated usually by a single specified source
the parliament was a rubber stamp for the dictator
3
a
: a stereotyped copy or expression
… the usual rubber stamps of criticism …—
H. L. Mencken
H. L. Mencken
b
: a routine endorsement or approval
Examples of rubber-stamp in a Sentence
Noun
The legislature has been nothing more than a rubber stamp for the President.
an author who was ultimately just another rubber stamp of Hemingway
Recent Examples on the Web
Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026
The party also released a new roster for its powerful Central Committee that confirmed a generational shift in Kim’s leadership circle, with aging military chiefs and the 76-year-old head of Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament among dozens replaced in the 138-member body.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Judicial fatalism—the idea that the Supreme Court is a rubber stamp for Trump—is a fashionable belief on the left.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rubber-stamp
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Verb
The shooting-range event came after the conclusion of a congress of the Korean Workers’ Party, a largely rubber-stamp political gathering of the nation’s elite, where Kim’s leadership was reaffirmed by unanimous vote.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026
The party also released a new roster for its powerful Central Committee that confirmed a generational shift in Kim’s leadership circle, with aging military chiefs and the 76-year-old head of Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament among dozens replaced in the 138-member body.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
Noun
Because Melling had the rubber stamp of Coen approval, other directors took notice of him from there.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Judicial fatalism—the idea that the Supreme Court is a rubber stamp for Trump—is a fashionable belief on the left.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rubber-stamp
Cite this Entry
“Rubber-stamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rubber-stamp. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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