I. stamp 1 S2 /stæmp/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . MAIL ( also postage stamp formal ) a small piece of paper that you buy and stick onto an envelope or package before posting it:
a 29-cent stamp
Richard collects stamps.
a second-class stamp
2 .
PRINTED MARK a tool for pressing or printing a mark or pattern onto a surface, or the mark made by this tool:
a date stamp
a passport stamp
3 . the stamp of something if something has the stamp of a particular quality, it clearly has that quality:
The speech bore (=had) the stamp of authority.
4 . PAYMENT British English a small piece of paper that is worth a particular amount of money and is bought and collected for something over a period of time:
television licence stamps
5 . TAX British English a piece of paper for sticking to some official papers to show that British tax has been paid
6 . of ... stamp formal someone with a particular kind of character:
He’s clearly of a very different stamp.
7 . WITH FOOT an act of stamping, especially with your foot:
an angry stamp
⇨ ↑ food stamp
II. stamp 2 S1 W1 BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Origin: Probably from an unrecorded Old English stampian 'to crush' ]
1 . PUT FOOT DOWN [intransitive and transitive] to put your foot down onto the ground loudly and with a lot of force:
The audience stamped and shouted.
‘I will not!’ Bert yelled and stamped his foot (=because he was angry) .
She stood at the bus stop stamping her feet (=because she was cold) .
stamp on somebody/something (=try to hurt or kill someone or something, by putting your foot down onto them)
Marta shrieked and started stamping on the cockroach.
2 . WALK NOISILY [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to walk somewhere in a noisy way by putting your feet down hard onto the ground because you are angry SYN stomp
stamp around/out of/off etc
My mother stamped off down the stairs.
3 . MAKE A MARK [transitive] to put a pattern, sign, or letters on something, using a special tool:
The woman at the desk stamped my passport.
Among the papers was a brown folder stamped ‘SECRET’.
stamp something on something
Stamp the date on all the letters.
4 . AFFECT SOMEBODY/SOMETHING [transitive] to have an important or permanent effect on someone or something:
The experience remained stamped on her memory for many years.
stamp somebody with something
His army years had stamped him with an air of brisk authority.
5 . MAIL [transitive] to stick a stamp onto a letter, ↑ parcel etc
stamp somebody as something phrasal verb
to show that someone has a particular type of character:
It was his manners that stamped him as a real gentleman.
stamp on somebody/something phrasal verb
to use force or your authority to stop someone from doing something, or stop something from happening, especially in an unfair way:
Officers were given orders to stamp on any hint of trouble.
stamp something ↔ out phrasal verb
1 . to prevent something bad from continuing:
We aim to stamp out poverty in our lifetimes.
2 . to stop a fire from burning by stepping hard on the flames
3 . to make a shape or object by pressing hard on something using a machine or tool