vamp

1 of 4

noun (1)

: a woman who uses her charm or wiles to seduce and exploit men
vampish adjective

vamp

2 of 4

verb (1)

vamped; vamping; vamps

transitive verb

: to practice seductive wiles on

intransitive verb

: to act like a vamp
vamping for the camera

vamp

3 of 4

noun (2)

1
: the part of a shoe upper or boot upper covering especially the forepart of the foot and sometimes also extending forward over the toe or backward to the back seam of the upper
2
[derivative of vamp entry 4] : a short introductory musical passage often repeated several times (as in vaudeville) before a solo or between verses

vamp

4 of 4

verb (2)

vamped; vamping; vamps

transitive verb

1
a
: to provide (a shoe) with a new vamp
b
: to piece (something old) with a new part : patch
vamp up old sermons
2
: invent, fabricate
vamp up an excuse

intransitive verb

1
: to play a musical vamp
2
vamper noun

Examples of vamp in a Sentence

Verb (2) political spin doctors who can vamp up a justification for just about anything
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Verb
Pictured below, this was a Hollywood icon dressed (in a dress that actually functioned as a dress) unapologetically made up to the nines, and vamping her heart out. Guy Martin, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024 And their evocation of the perfectionism of the younger Bruce, who would order the band to vamp for several hours as he sound-checked every corner of an arena, tells you a lot about him. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2024
Noun
Gomez completed her ensemble with silver rings and sleek black pumps featuring asymmetrical detailing: a glossy strap crossing the vamp from the inside to the outside, connecting at the heel counter. Maggie Clancy, WWD, 25 Oct. 2024 Monica Bellucci is a squandered resource as the undead vamp Dolores. Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for vamp 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

short for vampire

Noun (2)

Middle English vampe, vaumpe "covering for the foot, upper of a shoe," borrowed from Anglo-French, probably truncated from *vampé, reduced form of avanpié, from avant- "fore-" + pié "foot," going back to Latin ped-, pēs — more at vanguard, foot entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1918, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

circa 1915, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of vamp was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near vamp

Cite this Entry

“Vamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vamp. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.

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