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tramp (trămp)
Share:
v. tramped, tramp·ing, tramps
v.intr.
1. To walk with a firm, heavy step; trudge.
2.
a. To travel on foot; hike.
b. To wander about aimlessly.
v.tr.
1. To traverse on foot: tramp the fields.
2. To tread down; trample: tramp down snow.
n.
1.
a. A heavy footfall.
b. The sound produced by heavy walking or marching.
2. A walking trip; a hike.
3. One who travels aimlessly about on foot, doing odd jobs or begging for a living; a vagrant.
4.
a. A prostitute.
b. A person regarded as promiscuous.
5. Nautical A tramp steamer.
6. A metal plate attached to the sole of a shoe for protection, as when spading ground.
[Middle English trampen, to walk heavily, from Middle Low German.]
tramper n.
trampish adj.
trampy adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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