tramp

¹

[ tramp ]

verb (used without object)

1. to tread or walk with a firm, heavy, resounding step.
2. to tread heavily or trample (usually followed by on or upon ):

   to tramp on a person's toes.

3. to walk steadily; march; trudge:

   They tramped wearily through the night.

4. to go on a walking excursion or expedition; hike:

   a beautiful day for tramping through the countryside.

5. to go about as a vagabond or tramp.
6. to make a voyage on a tramp steamer.

verb (used with object)

1. to tramp or walk heavily or steadily through or over.
2. to traverse on foot:

   to tramp the streets.

3. to tread or trample underfoot:

   to tramp grapes.

4. to travel over as a tramp.
5. to run (a ship) as a tramp steamer.

noun

1. the act of tramping.
2. a firm, heavy, resounding tread.
3. the sound made by such a tread.
4. a long, steady walk; trudge.
5. a walking excursion or expedition; hike.
6. a person who travels on foot from place to place, especially a vagabond living on occasional jobs or gifts of money or food.

   Synonyms: hobo, bum, vagrant

7. a sexually promiscuous woman; prostitute.
8. a freight vessel that does not run regularly between fixed ports, but takes a cargo wherever shippers desire. Compare cargo liner ( def ).
9. a piece of iron affixed to the sole of a shoe.

tramp

²

[ tramp ]

noun

1. a trampoline:

   We learned some wicked pivots on the tramp today.

verb (used without object)

1. to use a trampoline, especially with a tramp board:

   These are the boards preferred by professional water skiers who tramp as part of their training.

tramp

/ træmp /

verb

1. intr to walk long and far; hike
2. to walk heavily or firmly across or through (a place); march or trudge
3. intr to wander about as a vagabond or tramp
4. tr to make (a journey) or traverse (a place) on foot, esp laboriously or wearily

   to tramp the streets in search of work

5. tr to tread or trample
6. intr to walk for sport or recreation, esp in the bush

noun

1. a person who travels about on foot, usually with no permanent home, living by begging or doing casual work
2. a long hard walk; hike
3. a heavy or rhythmic step or tread
4. the sound of heavy treading
5. Also calledtramp steamer a merchant ship that does not run between ports on a regular schedule but carries cargo wherever the shippers desire
6. slang.
   a prostitute or promiscuous girl or woman
7. an iron plate on the sole of a boot

Derived Forms

• ˈtrampish, adjective
• ˈtramping, noun

Other Words From

• tramper noun
• trampish adjective
• trampish·ly adverb
• trampish·ness noun
• un·tramped adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tramp¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English trampen “to walk heavily, stamp”; cognate with Low German trampen, Middle Dutch tramperen “to stamp”; akin to Gothic ana-trimpan “to press hard upon”; traipse, trample

Origin of tramp²

Shortening of trampoline ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of tramp¹

C14: probably from Middle Low German trampen ; compare Gothic ana-trimpan to press heavily upon, German trampen to hitchhike

Example Sentences

If someone tramps across the well-manicured grass in front of your home, you would be fully within your rights to tell them to get off your lawn.

From Los Angeles Times

But now the hordes of tourists disgorged by the railway every few minutes are taking their toll, tramping across the pastures towards the lake and crushing the flowers.

From BBC

Discomfort stands side by side with determination, meaning identity, “cool Christianity,” Van Gogh tramp stamps, state shot put matches and strap-on tips comprise a near-future special that improbably makes awkwardness uplifting and wholly heart-warming.

From Los Angeles Times

I’ve just spent a week tramping across Venice, a city of more than 250 churches, and where did I encounter the most doctrinaire catechism?

From New York Times

A podcast by the right-wing Cicero Institute suggested that instead of calling people “homeless,” we revert to words like “vagrants,” “bums” and “tramps.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• gallop
• plod
• ramble
• roam
• slog
• traipse
• trample
• trudge