stamp

1 noun (C)

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 | a sheet/book of stamps (=set of stamps that you buy)

2 TOOL 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 sth if something has the stamp of a particular quality, it clearly has that quality: bear the stamp of sth: The speech bore the stamp of authority.

4 PAYMENT BrE 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 a piece of paper for sticking to some official papers to show that British tax has been paid

6 IN A SHOP a trading stamp

7 a man/woman of his/her stamp formal someone with a particular kind of character: I wouldn't trust a man of his stamp.

8 an act of stamping, especially with your foot: an angry stamp

2 verb

1 FOOT (I) to lift your foot off the ground and put it down hard on something

(+ on): Marta shrieked and started stamping on the cockroach. | stamp around (=walk this way): Just because you're mad you don't have to stamp around like that.

2 stamp your foot to lift your foot off the ground and bring it down again very hard because you are angry: “I will not!” yelled Bert, and stamped his foot.

3 stamp your feet to keep lifting each foot and bringing it down again very hard, to make a noise or because you are cold: She stood at the bus stop stamping her feet to keep warm.

4 MAKE A MARK (T) to put a pattern, sign or letters on something using a special tool: stamp sth on sth: Stamp the date on all the letters. | stamp sth with sth: Your passport must be stamped with your entry date.

5 stamp on sb/sth informal to use force or your authority to stop someone from doing something, or stop something from happening: Roberts stamped on every suggestion we made and then decided to end the project.

6 AFFECT SB/STH (T) to have an important or permanent effect on someone or something: be stamped on sb's memory: That awful experience is indelibly stamped on my memory. | stamp sb with sth: His army years had stamped him with an air of brisk authority.

7 stamp sb as sth to show that someone has a particular type of character: The latest scandal clearly stamped her as a liar.

8 MAIL (T) to stick a stamp onto a letter, parcel etc

stamp sth out phrasal verb (T)

1 to prevent something bad from continuing: We aim to stamp out poverty in our lifetimes.

2 to put out a fire by stepping hard on the flames

3 to make a shape or object by pressing hard on something using a machine or tool