tramp

verb \ ˈtramp , senses vi 1 & vt 1 are also ˈträmp , ˈtrȯmp \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of tramp

intransitive verb

1 : to walk, tread, or step especially heavily

tramped loudly on the stairs

2 a : to travel about on foot : hike

b : to journey as a tramp

transitive verb

1 : to tread on forcibly and repeatedly

2 : to travel or wander through or over on foot

have tramped all the woods on their property

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tramper

noun

See tramp defined for English-language learners

See tramp defined for kids

Examples of tramp in a Sentence

We spent the day tramping through the woods.
He tramped the streets looking for his dog.

Recent Examples of tramp from the Web

Some huts originated as outposts for miners, hunters, foresters, or shepherds, others as way stations for alpinists, scientists, tourists or tramping club members.

— New York Times, "At New Zealand Trail Huts, Shelter, Conversation and Community," 14 Feb. 2018
Television crews tramped across the Schoos' lawn, as well as the lawns of their extended family members.

— steve lord, Aurora Beacon-News, "Archive: Home Alone case turns 10 - Media circus caused soul-searching among latchkey-kid parents," 20 Dec. 2017
Over the next several years the German businessman, who made his fortune in trading raw materials for ammunition production, tramped around the Mediterranean.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The Man Who Brought the Swastika to Germany, and How the Nazis Stole It," 6 Apr. 2017
Hamburg, Germany (CNN)An eclectic and international mix of demonstrators peacefully tramped through the streets of Hamburg on Saturday, a show of anti-capitalist muscle in earshot of the world's top leaders who were finishing up at the G20 summit.

— kara fox and joe sterling, CNN, "Protesters flood streets of Hamburg as G20 wraps up," 8 July 2017
Last year a tourist died after walking off a pedestrian boardwalk into a thermal area, a group of Canadian adventurers tramped around in the Grand Prismatic Spring, then publicized it.

— lew freedman, idahostatesman, "At Yellowstone, new safe selfie pledge will cut down on animal attacks, officials hope," 6 May 2017
In the final days before France’s presidential election on Sunday, Emmanuel Macron was tramping through the snow high in the mountains near the Spanish border for a critical campaign stop near this tiny village where his grandparents once lived.

— alissa j. rubin, New York Times, "Macron Wants to Change France. But Will Voters Elect an Unknown?," 19 Apr. 2017
A group of young boys dressed in old-fashioned regimental uniforms tramped up a staircase and strode purposefully toward him, wooden rifles slung over their shoulders.

— corinna da fonseca-wollheim, New York Times, "A Legend of the International Culture Scene Makes His Mark on New York," 13 Oct. 2016

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

Origin and Etymology of tramp

Middle English; akin to Middle Low German trampen to stamp

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

tramp Synonyms

tramp

noun \ ˈtramp , senses 3 & 4 are also ˈträmp , ˈtrȯmp \

Definition of tramp

1 a : vagrant 1a

b : a foot traveler

c : a woman of loose morals; specifically : prostitute

2 : a walking trip : hike

3 : the succession of sounds made by the beating of feet on a surface (such as a road, pavement, or floor)

4 : an iron plate to protect the sole of a shoe

5 : a ship not making regular trips but taking cargo when and where it offers and to any port — called also tramp steamer

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trampy

play \ˈtram-pē\ adjective

See tramp defined for English-language learners

Examples of tramp in a Sentence

a tramp through the woods
the police encouraged the tramps who were sleeping in the park to spend the bitterly cold night in the homeless shelter

Recent Examples of tramp from the Web

But my grandfather’s generation worked as fruit tramps — seasonal itinerant labor — and my parents had seven kids on a budget that barely supported a couple.

— kerry lengel, azcentral, "Why I'm going to keep watching 'Roseanne' and 'problematic pop culture'," 1 Apr. 2018
Mercedes Diaz tramps into a muddy soybean field and runs her brightly manicured fingers through the limbs of dozens of knee-high plants.

— marla broadfoot, Scientific American, "Is This the Next Green Revolution?," 22 Aug. 2017
Then Paul Brotherton, still searching for homeless tramps with Jerry Lucey, keyed his radio for the first time, answering his chief from somewhere high up in the warehouse.

— sean flynn, Esquire, "The Perfect Fire," 9 Mar. 2017
Twitter Facebook − + Fred1259 Nat Mirotta • 4 days ago Praying mantis is such a greedy tramp.

— kevin rutherford, Billboard, "Taylor Swift's 'End Game' Video Spurs Debut on Streaming Songs Chart," 24 Jan. 2018
On the morning of Dec. 6, 1917, the SS Mont-Blanc, a French tramp steamer, made its way slowly into Halifax Harbor, a stopover on its way to deliver its cargo to the French army.

— stephen maher, chicagotribune.com, "'The Great Halifax Explosion': A tragedy deftly retold," 21 Dec. 2017
Led by my father, a forester, the annual tramp through snowy forests of Snoqualmie Pass near Seattle was an event that meant the season had officially arrived.

— erin kirkland, Anchorage Daily News, "With home far away, a Christmas present brings memories of Christmas past," 19 Dec. 2017
One of his most enduring characters, the little tramp, was a sympathetic outsider who was never flattened by the blows life dealt.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "The Cinema Museum, Housed in the Workhouse Where Charlie Chaplin Spent His Formative Years, Is Under Threat," 16 Dec. 2017
His production of Samuel Beckett’s tale of two existentially challenged tramps, at the Arts Theater, may have left some scratching their heads in anger and exasperation.

— the new york times, New York Times, "5 Shows That Sealed Peter Hall’s Stage Legacy," 12 Sep. 2017