\ ˈtamp
\
\
tamped; tamping; tamps
Definition of tamp
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to drive in or down by a succession of light or medium blows
tamp wet concrete
tamp
noun
plural tamps
Definition of tamp (Entry 2 of 2)
: a tool for tamping : tamper entry 2
Fill the form half full with fresh, undisturbed snow, firmly packing it down using the cutout can bottom as a tamp; tamp around the inside edges as you go.— James Boone
Examples of tamp in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Last week, DeSantis slammed the Biden administration for floating a ban on domestic travel to Florida as a move to tamp down the spread of new COVID-19 variants.
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Emma Colton, Washington Examiner, "DeSantis slams Biden administration for 'hypocrisy' over lack of virus testing for migrants while floating domestic travel bans," 14 Feb. 2021
Seeking to tamp down dissent, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley denied all protest permits except one: to hold an afternoon rally at the old bandshell at the south end of Grant Park.
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Liz Cantrell, Town & Country, "The True Story Behind The Trial of the Chicago 7," 17 Oct. 2020
The speaker is seeking to tamp down any restlessness among Democrats to take what the White House is offering after Trump enlarged his proposal.
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Billy House, Bloomberg.com, "Trump, Republicans Divided on Stimulus as Pelosi Demands Revamp," 13 Oct. 2020
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell sought Thursday to tamp down any concerns that the Fed might soon withdraw some of its support for the U.S. economy and stressed that any such pullback would be signaled far in advance.
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Christopher Rugaber, ajc, "Powell signals Fed will keep aiding economy with bond buying," 14 Jan. 2021
The book’s 20-something narrator, Darren, graduated as valedictorian from one of New York’s top high schools, only to tamp down his ambitions.
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Los Angeles Times, "Is ‘Black Buck’ the first racial satire that’s also self-help?," 29 Dec. 2020
The country is emerging in gradual stages from a monthlong lockdown that the government imposed to tamp down infections.
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Ariel Schalit, Star Tribune, "Thousands protest in Jerusalem against Israeli PM," 31 Oct. 2020
Italy, the original European epicenter of the virus, had managed to tamp down infections with a strict national lockdown.
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Chiara Albanese, Bloomberg.com, "Italy Mulls Partial Lockdown as Cases, Hospitalizations Jump," 24 Oct. 2020
Health officials are hopeful that the regional stay-at-home order that went into effect Sunday night will help to tamp down on the rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
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Los Angeles Times, "Southern California is a main driver of state’s record COVID-19 deaths, with no signs of a letup," 10 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
If the hole was mistakenly dug too deep, put some native soil back in the hole and tamp firmly.
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Howard Garrett, Dallas News, "Now that you’ve dug a hole, here’s how to plant your tree," 26 Oct. 2020
Karen reported that Amazon is trying tricks to get people to order less — like showing long delivery times on items deemed low priority, to give Amazon more flexibility to fulfill orders and tamp down demand.
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Shira Ovide, New York Times, "A Privacy Absolutist Isn’t So Sure Anymore," 17 Apr. 2020
But with the public thirsty for information on the coronavirus, doctors across the country have taken to social media — Twitter, in particular — to snuff out misinformation, tamp down rumors and spread science about the coronavirus outbreaks.
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Michael Cabanatuan, SFChronicle.com, "Coronavirus: UCSF doctors take to Twitter to educate public, sound alarm about COVID-19," 4 Apr. 2020
The key question now is whether the US counterattack tamps down the cycle of violence or escalates it.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Officials did not identify the precise location of the sites. The strikes in Syria took place in the Euphrates River Valley in the southeast, officials said.," 31 Dec. 2019
That is why the museum exhibitions would make extensive use of quotations and oral histories that would let the voices of the past, the words of those who lived the experiences, drown out or at least tamp down the traditional curatorial voice.
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Lonnie G. Bunch Iii, Smithsonian, "How Lonnie Bunch Built a Museum Dream Team," 19 Sep. 2019
Administration officials said the idea had not been pushed with Mr. Trump and tried to tamp talk of it down.
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New York Times, "Trump Administration Considers Moves to Bolster Economy," 19 Aug. 2019
Another study by food scientists at Cornell University also showed in 2015 that the noise level on flights tamps down sweet flavors but amps up umami tastes in substances like tomato juice.
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Author: Hannah Sampson, Anchorage Daily News, "'Mile Cry Club’: Why human emotions and senses go haywire on a plane," 21 June 2019
For now, Fed officials would likely be relieved to see the rate of hiring slow and unemployment stabilize at its current, historically low levels, all of which tamp down worries that growth is becoming unsustainable.
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Nick Timiraos, WSJ, "July Jobs Report Likely to Keep Fed on Track for Next Rate Increase," 3 Aug. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tamp.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Is It 'Damp Down' or 'Tamp Down'?
Is It 'Damp Down' or 'Tamp Down'?
English: always throwing a wet blanket on your assumptions
Dictionary Entries near tamp
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for tamp
Last Updated
7 Mar 2021
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Cite this Entry
“Tamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tamp. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.
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More Definitions for tamp
tamp
verb
English Language Learners Definition of tamp
: to press (something) down by hitting it lightly
See the full definition for tamp in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tamp
verb
\ ˈtamp
\
\
tamped; tamping
Kids Definition of tamp
: to press down or in by hitting lightly
She tamped down the soil.
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Time Traveler for tamp
The first known use of tamp was in 1834
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