stamp

From Middle English stampen (“to pound, crush”), from assumed Old English *stampian, variant of Old English stempan (“to crush, pound, pound in mortar, stamp”), from Proto-Germanic *stampōną, *stampijaną (“to trample, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *stemb- (“to trample down”). Cognate with Dutch stampen (“to stamp, pitch”), German stampfen (“to stamp”), Danish stampe (“to stamp”), Swedish stampa (“to stomp”), Occitan estampar, Polish stąpać (“to step, treat”). See also stomp.

• IPA^(key): /stæmp/

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• Rhymes: -æmp

stamp (plural stamps)

The first U.S. stamp

1. An act of stamping the foot, paw or hoof.

   The horse gave two quick stamps and rose up on its hind legs.

   • 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

     Just then there was a sound of footsteps, and the Boy ran past near them, and with a stamp of feet and a flash of white tails the two strange rabbits disappeared.

2. An indentation or imprint made by stamping.

   My passport has quite a collection of stamps.

3. A device for stamping designs.

   She loved to make designs with her collection of stamps.

4. A small piece of paper bearing a design on one side and adhesive on the other, used to decorate letters or craft work.

   These stamps have a Christmas theme.

5. A small piece of paper, with a design and a face value, used to prepay postage or other costs such as tax or licence fees.

   I need one first-class stamp to send this letter.

   Now that commerce is done electronically, tax stamps are no longer issued here.

6. (slang, figuratively) A tattoo
7. (slang) A single dose of lysergic acid diethylamide

• (paper used to indicate payment has been paid): postage stamp, revenue stamp, tax stamp

stamp (third-person singular simple present stamps, present participle stamping, simple past and past participle stamped)

1. (intransitive) To step quickly and heavily, once or repeatedly.

   The toddler screamed and stamped, but still got no candy.

2. (transitive) To move (the foot or feet) quickly and heavily, once or repeatedly.

   The crowd cheered and stamped their feet in appreciation.

3. (transitive) To strike, beat, or press forcibly with the bottom of the foot, or by thrusting the foot downward.
   • Dryden

     He frets, he fumes, he stares, he stamps the ground.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

4. (transitive) To mark by pressing quickly and heavily.

   This machine stamps the metal cover with a design.

   This machine stamps the design into the metal cover.

5. (transitive) To give an official marking to, generally by impressing or imprinting a design or symbol.

   The immigration officer stamped my passport.

6. (transitive) To apply postage stamps to.

   I forgot to stamp this letter.

7. (transitive, figuratively) To mark; to impress.
   • John Locke

     God […] has stamped no original characters on our minds wherein we may read his being.

   • 2011 September 18, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia”, in BBC Sport‎:

     England's superior conditioning began to show in the final quarter and as the game began to break up, their three-quarters began to stamp their authority on the game. And when Foden went on a mazy run from inside his own 22 and put Ashton in for a long-range try, any threat of an upset was when and truly snuffed out.

• (mark by pressing quickly and heavily): emboss, dent
• (give an official marking to): impress, imprint

• tamps

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• Rhymes: -ɑmp

stamp

1. first-person singular present indicative of stampen
2. imperative of stampen

• spamt

• Rhymes: -am̥p

stamp

1. indefinite accusative singular of stampur

stamp

1. imperative of stampa