stampede

noun

stam·pede | \ (ˌ)stam-ˈpēd

Definition of stampede

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

verb

stampeded; stampeding

Definition of stampede (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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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

Around 10,000 people were in the stadium as violence developed outside, with many later getting caught in a stampede as police used tear gas to try to get control of the crowd, the BBC reported. — Fox News, "Honduras soccer riot leaves 3 dead, at least 10 injured, officials say," 19 Aug. 2019 Two people, a mother and her 16-year-old son, were injured in the stampede for the exits, police said. — Jay R. Jordan, Houston Chronicle, "Police continue search for masked man who sparked panic inside Memorial City Mall," 12 Aug. 2019 Afshana Farooq, a 14-year-old girl, was nearly trampled in the stampede. — Sameer Yasir, BostonGlobe.com, "Confusion, rage, and protest grip cutoff Kashmir," 10 Aug. 2019 When a stampede erupted outside Hussle’s store April 1 during a vigil, Rodriguez was on site with paint and a ladder. — Dorany Pineda, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Across L.A., murals are a testament to Nipsey Hussle’s legacy," 14 July 2019 When a stampede erupted outside Hussle’s store April 1 during a vigil, Rodriguez was on site with paint and a ladder. — Dorany Pineda, latimes.com, "Across L.A., murals are a testament to Nipsey Hussle’s legacy," 14 July 2019 With a rotating cast of drummers and augmented line-ups, the Who persisted through various triumphs, failures, break-ups, reunions and the death of 11 fans killed in a 1979 stampede in Cincinnati. — Tony Fletcher, WSJ, "‘Thanks a Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite’ Review: The Hardest-Working Man in Rock," 14 Dec. 2018 At least five people were carried away on stretchers following a stampede when thousands thronged the stadium to view Mugabe's body. — CNN, "Mugabe to get hero's burial as family settle row over his final resting place," 13 Sep. 2019 In 2005, rumors of a suicide bomber among worshippers crossing a bridge during a different religious holiday caused a massive stampede killing more than 950 people, many of whom jumped, in their panic, into the Tigris River. — Qassim Abdul-zahra And Zeina Karam, chicagotribune.com, "Officials: At least 31 Iraqi pilgrims die in stampede during holiday," 10 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Police also implemented emergency procedures inside the stadium, moving around 10,000 fans to the center of the pitch in a bid to halt attendees from stampeding towards the exit and being caught up in tear gas outside the stadium. — Elvin Manuel Sandoval And Daniel Silva Fernández, CNN, "Three dead following clashes between soccer fans in Honduras," 18 Aug. 2019 Shoppers and employees hid in a refrigerated room or stampeded outside. — Fox News, "The Latest: 1 dead, 2 wounded in California Costco shooting," 15 June 2019 One scary thing Watch the terrifying moment a herd of bison stampeded past the car of a family visiting Yellowstone National Park. — Alexander Smith, NBC News, "Amazon wildfires could be 'game over' for climate change fight: The Morning Rundown," 23 Aug. 2019 Hundreds of people fearing for their lives stampeded each other and sought cover where none existed. — Phillip Morris, cleveland.com, "A motorcycle has now become the sum of our fears: Phillip Morris," 11 Aug. 2019 The pair ultimately and futilely dash after striped targets, who frantically stampede off in a black-and-white blaze. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Wild time on a Serengeti safari," 11 Sep. 2019 If startled by a polar bear, airplane or hunter, the herd stampedes into the safety of the ocean and young animals are crushed. — Dan Joling, Anchorage Daily News, "Thousands of walruses show up early on Northwest Alaska coast as sea ice recedes," 1 Aug. 2019 One witness said shoppers began stampeding toward exits. — Tony Barboza, latimes.com, "One man killed, three other people injured in shooting at Costco in Corona," 14 June 2019 The Exalted One was stampeded into the ground by defenders blocking for the interceptor after the second pick. — Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "Jimmy Garoppolo’s preseason stinker reminds of young Joe Montana’s ugly game," 20 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stampede.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for stampede

Last Updated

17 Oct 2019

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Time Traveler for stampede

The first known use of stampede was in 1828

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More Definitions for stampede

stampede

noun

English Language Learners Definition of stampede

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an occurrence in which a large group of frightened or excited animals or people run together in a wild and uncontrolled way to escape from something, get out of a place, etc.

: a situation in which a lot of people try to do the same thing at the same time

stampede

verb

English Language Learners Definition of stampede (Entry 2 of 2)

: to run away in a large group from something especially because of fear

: to cause (animals) to run away in a large group

: to cause (a person or a group of people) to do something suddenly and without proper thought

See the full definition for stampede in the English Language Learners Dictionary

stampede

noun

stam·pede | \ stam-ˈpēd