tamp
tamp Lexical Profile
tamp Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To pack or ram down a substance (such as soil, gravel, or tobacco) firmly by a series of blows or steady pressure.
"The crew tamped the crushed stone thoroughly before laying the brick patio."
To restrain, reduce, or suppress something (especially an emotion, reaction, or problem; usually used with 'down').
"Central bank officials worked to tamp down expectations of an immediate interest rate cut."
• noun
A hand tool with a flat, heavy base used for packing down or compacting a substance such as soil, gravel, or ground coffee.
"The barista used a heavy stainless-steel tamp to compress the espresso grounds evenly in the portafilter."
An act of packing or pressing something down firmly by means of repeated blows or steady pressure.
"A quick tamp with the back of the shovel leveled the loose soil around the newly planted sapling."
Word Nuance & Usage
In figurative usage, 'tamp down' (to reduce, suppress, or keep under control) is often confused with 'tamper with' (to interfere with improperly); 'tamp down' is the standard idiom for restraining emotions, expectations, or inflation.
• Rhymes for tamp
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 19th century as a back-formation from 'tampion' (a wooden plug for a cannon muzzle), borrowed from French 'tampon', meaning a plug or stopper.