tramp

1 of 3

verb

ˈtramp How to pronounce tramp (audio)
 intransitive sense 1 & transitive sense 1 are also  ˈträmp,
ˈtrȯmp
tramped; tramping; tramps

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
tramper noun

tramp

2 of 3

noun

ˈtramp How to pronounce tramp (audio)
 senses 3 & 4 are also  ˈträmp,
ˈtrȯmp
1
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

trampy adjective

tramp

3 of 3

adjective

: having no fixed abode, connection, or destination
a tramp dog

Example Sentences

Verb We spent the day tramping through the woods. He tramped the streets looking for his dog. Noun 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 on the Web
Verb
In khakis and boots, Dad went tramping through woods. Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 1 Apr. 2023 The National Park Service warns that temperatures on the South Rim are typically 20 degrees cooler than those found near the river at Phantom Ranch (which has experienced a record high of 120 degrees), meaning heat will increase as visitors tramp down. Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 8 Apr. 2021 Two and a half hours later, the workers tramp over the porcine corpses, shooting those that aren’t already dead. Elizabeth Barber, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022 Each day, people from all over Russia tramp up several flights of stairs in an old apartment building in central Moscow. Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Sep. 2022 And then workers have to hoist tools onto their backs and tramp through the brush. Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2022 Squeezed in among the migrants were backpackers from England, Australia, Japan, and Brazil, who would soon be drinking coconut cocktails on the same beaches that some of these refugees would tramp across. Jason Motlagh, Outside Online, 19 July 2016 Malls in Dubai now have Chinese on their signs alongside Arabic and English, with tour groups tramping through and high-end shoppers targeting luxury stores. Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2020 On pavements where Soviet workers once tramped to shifts at the Uralmash heavy-machinery plant, babushkas now lay out their wares: apples, mushrooms, smoked fish. The Economist, 3 Oct. 2019
Noun
Don’t have a tramp? Michael J. Lewis, Men's Health, 1 July 2022 Good news, tramp-trap! Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2013 Victor Moore has one of his most priceless roles as the jolly tramp, Mac. Jack D. Grant, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Dec. 2022 Watch BigDog tramp through snow, get kicked, and otherwise abused---just to get up and keep going. Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 6 Mar. 2012 In a sly nod to such Christie-era puzzles, Diamond’s chief suspect is that old-fashioned favorite, the passing tramp—a 6-foot-2, gray-bearded, articulate knight of the road with an enormous dog and a manipulative personality. Tom Nolan, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2022 Outside the old man’s shop, an odd-looking cricket is dressed like a tramp, speaking in a folksy tongue that’s definitely not Italian. John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 This bag, Blazy tells me, turning it over, was inspired by the Italian cartoon character of Calimero, a chicken carrying his belongings in a tramp bindle. Nathan Heller, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2022 Be prepared to go without a shower or electricity for the duration of your tramp. Ali Wunderman, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022
Adjective
Probably not another tramp stamp but who knows. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tramp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English; akin to Middle Low German trampen to stamp

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1873, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tramp was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tramp

Cite this Entry

“Tramp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tramp. Accessed 31 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

tramp

1 of 2 verb
ˈtramp How to pronounce tramp (audio)
 senses 1 & 2 are also  ˈträmp,
ˈtrȯmp
1
: to walk heavily
2
: to tread on forcibly and repeatedly
3
: to travel or wander through on foot
tramp the streets
tramper noun

tramp

2 of 2 noun
ˈtramp How to pronounce tramp (audio)
 sense 3 is also  ˈträmp,
ˈtrȯmp
1
: a homeless wanderer who may beg or steal for a living
2
: a walking trip : hike
3
: the sound made by many marching feet
4
: a ship not making regular trips but taking cargo to any port

called also tramp steamer

More from Merriam-Webster on tramp

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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