trample

verb

tram·​ple ˈtram-pəl 

trampled; trampling ˈtram-p(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: tramp

especially : to tread heavily so as to bruise, crush, or injure

2

: to inflict injury or destruction especially contemptuously or ruthlessly

—usually used with on, over, or upon

trampling on the rights of others

transitive verb

: to crush, injure, or destroy by or as if by treading

trampled the flowers

trample noun

trampler

ˈtram-p(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms of trample

• stomp

Examples of trample in a Sentence

The workmen trampled on my flower bed.

Her glasses were trampled underfoot by the crowd.

Many people were trampled to death trying to escape the burning building.

They are trampling on our rights.

They are trampling our rights.

Their most cherished traditions have been trampled.

Recent Examples on the Web

While one of the caretakers, Sreekuttan, suffered chest injuries from being trampled and died at a nearby hospital, a second caretaker, Amal, sustained injuries and continues to receive medical care. —Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026

This is something that Black voting-rights advocates, from Frederick Douglass to Kwame Ture, long understood; that no person’s rights could really be inalienable if any person’s rights were trampled. —Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026

Instead, he got trampled by the crowd. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026

His plan also trampled another key provision, the requirement that districts be compact. —Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, frequentative of trampen to tramp

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for trample

• ample
• sample
• counterexample
• example
• subsample
• hippocampal

Kids Definition

trample

verb

tram·​ple ˈtram-pəl 

trampled; trampling -p(ə-)liŋ 

1

a

: to tramp or tread heavily so as to bruise, crush, or injure

cattle trampled on the young wheat

b

: to crush, injure, or destroy by or as if by treading

trampled the flowers

2

: to injure or harm by ruthless or heartless treatment

trampling on the right of others

trampler

-p(ə-)lər 

noun