I. ˈstamp, -aa(ə)mp, -aimp; in senses 2a of vt & 2 of vi also ˈstämp or -tȯmp verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English stampen; akin to Old English stempan to stamp, Old High German stampfōn, Old Norse stappa to stamp, Latin temnere to slight, despise, Greek stembein to shake up, handle roughly, Sanskrit stambhate, stabhnati he supports
transitive verb
1. : to pound with a pestle or a heavy instrument ; specifically : to crush (ore) by pounding with a stamp
2.
a.
(1) : to strike or beat (something) forcibly with the bottom of the foot or by thrusting the foot downward
the watch officer stamping the deck — R.H.Davis
stamping the mud off his boots
stamping a trail in the deep snow — John Hunt & Edmund Hillary
stamped an incongruous step … in a vain effort to dance to the music — Haldane MacFall
(2) : to bring down (the foot) forcibly or noisily on the ground or floor
stamps his feet with rage
stamping her heels with true regimental emphasis — T.B.Costain
pass unscathed over this burning charcoal although they actually stamp their feet on it — J.G.Frazer
b. : to extinguish, eradicate, or do away with (something) by or as if by stamping with the foot
are still trying to stamp the spread … following the war — T.H.Fielding
— usually used with out
one small fire … was easily stamped out — Frank Pemberton
finally stamped out the cattle thieves — American Guide Series: Louisiana
medical authorities attempted to stamp it out by quarantine measures — American Guide Series: Florida
strong monarchs are stamping out privy conspiracy and rebellion — S.E.Morison & H.S.Commager
3.
a. : to impress or mark (something) with a symbol or design in intaglio or relief with ink or coloring
b. obsolete : to print (a book) with such a process
c. : to impress or mark (something) with a device or design by means of a die and a blow or mechanical pressure
d. : to cut out, bend, or form by a blow or sudden pressure with a stamp or die
e.
(1) : to impress (lettering or a design) with heated metal type or dies
(2) : to impress (as a book) with lettering or a design
stamped book covers
stamped bindings
stamped cloth
4.
a. : to impress or mark (something) with a device or lettering to authenticate, certify, or register formal or official examination or sanction
b. : to impress (something) with an official mark, stamp, or adhesive label to certify that a government or state tax or duty has been paid
5.
a.
(1) : to adjudge or categorize (a person or thing) as being of good or bad repute or value
little things … stamp a girl at her first informal beach party — Alex Atkinson
long association with agrarian reform stamped him as a radical in the eyes of … moderates — R.A.Billington
stamped him as an artist of extraordinary skill and perception — Howard Barnes
the account of the foundation … stamps it as fraudulent — G.C.Sellery
(2) : to justify or lend approbation or sanction to (a person or thing)
a consummate ability that stamped him the peer of the greatest advocate of the age — W.J.Ghent
the happy diction and the graceful phrase which literature has stamped with its authority — E.G.Bulwer-Lytton
b.
(1) : to mark (a person or thing) with a distinctive or lasting characteristic
an art stamped with great beauty — American Guide Series: Ind.
listlessness rather than vigor stamps most of the homeless men — American Guide Series: Minnesota
stamped the works of Benedictine scholars with a character which they seldom lost — R.W.Southern
(2) : to mark or mold one's physical features or appearance with (a distinctive characteristic or cast) : trace
his paternity was stamped so indelibly on his outer shell — T.B.Costain
c. : to be a conspicuous characteristic of (something) : distinguish
the chief quality that stamps this study of jazz — R.L.Shayon
corporate ties which had stamped the old monasticism — R.W.Southern
d.
(1) : to embed or deeply impress (a fact, idea, or effect)
the Welsh characteristics are indelibly stamped — Wilfrid Goatman
— usually used with on or upon
the firm discipline of the Roman Military Academy was stamped on him — L.C.Douglas
one of the symbolic events that had stamped itself on his mind as a child — Van Wyck Brooks
(2) : to impose or firmly mark (an influence, quality, or development) — usually used with on or upon
concerned to stamp our civilization upon the world — Bertrand Russell
developments which were to stamp a new form of papal authority on the church — R.W.Southern
his genius was stamped on the ecclesiastical architecture — G.M.Trevelyan
intransitive verb
1. : to strike, beat, or crush in a manufacturing process : pound
fibers had been fermented, and then separated by … stamping — R.K.Johnson
2.
a. : to strike or thrust the foot forcibly or noisily downward
men stamping about with clanking swords — Richard Joseph
men stamped all over the decks — Anthony Carson
steps would stamp into the kitchen — Nancy Hale
stamp round in a circle — Wilfred Thesiger
officers' mounts stamped and steamed before a … hitching post — F.V.W.Mason
b. : to push or beat something down by such stamping with the foot — usually used with on
stamp on the accelerator — Green Peyton
jumping and stamping on the leaves
c. : to extinguish, extirpate, or do away with something by or as if by such stamping
nearby householders were stamping on the sparks to keep the brush fire from spreading
decided to stamp on all utterances of a disloyal character — Zechariah Chafee
II. ˈstamp, -aa(ə)mp, -aimp; in sense 4 also ˈstämp or -tȯmp noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English stampe, from stampen to stamp
1. : a device or instrument for stamping: as
a. : a die or tool for impressing or marking a design or pattern (as of a coin, postage stamp, or plaque) on metal, paper, or other soft or absorbent material
b.
(1) : a heavy pestle raised by water or steam power for crushing ore
(2) stamps plural : stamp mill
c. : a bookbinder's embossing tool
d. : a machine for beating and softening hides
2. : the impression, design, or mark made by stamping or imprinting with a die or tool: as
a. : such an impression or mark used to give authentication, distinctive value, or force to something (as a coin, a document, or goods)
b.
(1) : an official mark or seal set on something (as a warrant or deed) chargeable with a government or state duty or tax or on papers legally requiring execution under certain conditions to signify that the duty or tax has been paid or the conditions fulfilled
(2) : postmark
3.
a. : a cast, make, or kind marked by distinctive or peculiar qualities or characteristics : type
reformers of all stamps are prone to regard the existing order as sheer folly — H.J.Muller
books of a serious stamp — Jane Austen
does not indiate that the ideal field trial dog is of that stamp — W.F.Brown b. 1903
b. : a distinguishing or characteristic imprint, sign, or impression : mark
a poet who has left her stamp upon her generation — Sara H. Hay
these works have the classic stamp upon them — Laurence Binyon
the very stamp of genius — Alfred Kazin
in its content and terminology the unmistakable stamp of the backwoods — American Guide Series: Ind.
c. : the lasting imprint or residual impression of something : effect
sun and weather … and the deeper stamp of his new life have made him physically a stranger — Dixon Wecter
the stamp of his character upon his style — Arnold Isenberg
d. : external appearance : physical cast or form
the English look gave way to a Celtic stamp on the features of the inhabitants — Richard Joseph
e. : a sign or certification of worth based on judgment or opinion
implied this to be the very highest stamp of juvenile merit — George Eliot
carries the stamp of approval
4. : an act of stamping ; especially : a forceful downward stroke or step with the foot
5. obsolete : something stamped or impressed with a device : coin , medal
6. : a picture made by an inked impression from an engraved surface : engraving , plate
7.
a. : a stamped or printed device or slip of paper issued by a government or state at a fixed price and required by law to be affixed to or stamped on various papers or matter as evidence that the government charge or tax is paid — compare postage stamp
b. : such a stamp privately printed or issued for any purpose of signification or certification : seal — compare trading stamp
8. : a card for gambling marked on the back by the manufacturer — compare reader
9. : a section of a bloom nicked, partly cut through, or broken off to show the grain