ramp

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
: a sloping way or plane: such as
a
: a sloping floor, walk, or roadway leading from one level to another
b
: a slope for launching boats
2

ramp

2 of 5

verb (1)

ramped; ramping; ramps

intransitive verb

: to speed up, expand, or increase especially quickly or at a constant rate
used with up
ramping up to full speed
The backlash is a sign of tensions that could intensify as the governor ramps up for reelection next year.Josh Burek
The raisin giant ramps up for Halloween by selling bags of 14 half-ounce raisin boxes.Bruce Horovitz
Furthermore, some of these heat processes must be "ramped up." That is, the heat must be gradually raised to the processing temperature …George Lawton

transitive verb

: to increase, expand, or decrease especially quickly or at a constant rate
usually used with up or down
ramp up production
… James Bay and Tori Kelly, two best new artist nominees, traded their songs on acoustic guitars, ramping up the vibrato.Jon Pareles
see also ramp-up

ramp

3 of 5

noun (2)

: any of various alliums used for food

ramp

4 of 5

verb (2)

ramped; ramping; ramps

intransitive verb

1
a
: to stand or advance menacingly with forelegs or with arms raised
b
: to move or act furiously
2
: to creep up
used especially of plants

ramp

5 of 5

noun (3)

plural ramps
old-fashioned + literary
: the act or an instance of ramping (see ramp entry 4)
It is the ramp of the lion by the side of the … snarl of the cur.Edmund Burke
(figurative) … the whirr / Of the crickets is lost in the roar / And the ramp of the southern gale …Hamlin Garland

Examples of ramp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The ramp that connects I-75 south to I-275 east, which closed as a result of the crash, reopened as well. The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024 Closures would also impact the eastbound connector ramp between 48th Street and Broadway. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 The pickup Reid was driving slammed into one of two vehicles on the side of the entrance ramp along Interstate 435, near the team’s practice facility. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 The slopes at the small ski center are on the easier side, but there are five downhill runs, jump ramps, a lively inn, and perhaps most importantly for casual visitors, ski rental. David Nikel, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 Construction workers anticipate closing entrance ramps to Ohio 562 westbound on the night of June 2. The Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2024 Ariel Young was a passenger in one of two vehicles that Reid’s pickup slammed into on the side of the entrance ramp along Interstate 435, near the team’s practice facility. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024 When: From 8 p.m. Friday, March 1, to 4 a.m. Monday, March 4. Alternate Routes: To connect with eastbound U.S. 60, drivers heading west on I-10 can exit at Broadway Road and turn left to enter eastbound I-10 to reach the ramp to eastbound U.S. 60. The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 At the United States shows, Jam crew members instead built a more traditional center stage with ramps on four sides that West, Ty Dolla $ign and other guests could use to enter and exit. Dave Brooks, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
The state agency forcing the city into action is the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, which has recently ramped up pressure on cities across the region to move encampments out of sensitive waterways that often empty into the ocean. Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024 Even this early in its run, the show was adept at ramping up the work/family dynamic amid the bloodiest of crime scenes. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Calmer winds helped firefighters’ efforts on Wednesday, but forecasts show poor weather conditions could ramp up Friday and fan the flames again over the weekend. Video Ad Feedback See what the second-largest fire in the history of Texas looks like 00:51 - Source: CNN 3. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 College Best of the West: Rivalry game against Saint Mary’s could be must-win for Zags; SDSU rises to No. 5 Feb. 28, 2024 The sense of what might have been ramped up when the Tritons knocked off conference leader UC Irvine 92-88 in overtime Saturday. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 Wacha will continue to ramp up ahead of the 2024 regular season. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024 Over the last few years, the IRS, a bureau within Treasury, has been innovating its processes, ramping up on enforcement actions, and accelerating its taxpayer compliance campaign. Cleve Mesidor, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The Blessed Madonna initially simplifies the production before turning the dial up on the track’s string section, ramping up into all-out disco bliss (and giving us more of a good thing, by extending the track by a full minute and a half). Katie Bain, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024 Magy notes that there is movement in industry with respect to ramping up human physical capital for drone production. Eric Tegler, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ramp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from French rampe, going back to Middle French, "inclined plane on which the steps of a staircase are built," noun derivative of ramper "to crawl, creep, move slowly along a surface," going back to Old French — more at ramp entry 4

Verb (1)

in part verbal derivative of ramp1, implying upward or downward movement on a ramp, in part derivative of ramp "artificial stimulation of a situation, market, etc., for financial or political gain," probably derivative of 19th-century British slang ramp "to rob, swindle," of uncertain origin

Noun (2)

back-formation from ramps, alteration (by intrusive p) of rams "the wild garlic Allium ursinum," going back to Middle English ramese, rampses, ramzys, going back to Old English hramsa, hramse (masculine or feminine weak noun), going back to Germanic *hramusan- or *hramusjōn- (whence also Old Saxon ramusia "wild garlic," Middle Low German ramese, remese, regional German Rams) going back to dialectal Indo-European *ḱrom-us-, ablaut variant of a noun seen also in Middle Irish crem, crim "wild garlic," Welsh craf, cra (< Celtic *kremo-, kramo-?), Russian čeremšá, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian srȉjemuš, srȉjemuša, also crȉjemuš, crȉjemuša, Lithuanian kermùšė, kermušė͂, beside šermùkšnis, šermùkšlė "mountain ash" (< *kerm-(o)us-i̯eh2, *ḱerm-(o)us-i̯eh2), Greek krómmyon, krémyon (Hesychius) "onion (Allium cepa) (< *ḱrom-us-o-/*ḱrem-us-o-)

Note: While Balto-Slavic has *ḱerm-, the other languages appear to have *ḱrVm- (or *ḱr̥m-?). The fluctuation between palatovelar and plain velar in Balto-Slavic has been explained as a result of an original *ḱrem-, with loss of palatal quality before r. The word is found only within European Indo-European, and regarded by some as a Wanderwort or borrowing from a substratal language.

Verb (2)

Middle English rampen, raumpen "to creep on the ground (of a snake or dragon), to spring up, rear up on the hind legs (of a lion or other large carnivore)," borrowed from Anglo-French ramper "to climb, rear up on the hind legs, creep" (also continental Old French), perhaps going back to a Germanic base *hramp- used in various expressive words, as Middle Dutch ramp "mishap, disaster," rampe "torticollis in birds," Middle Low German ramp "spasm, epilepsy, distress, disaster," Old English gehrumpen "wrinkled, coiled, contracted," Old High German rimpfan, preterit rampf "to shrivel, shrink"

Note: Though the Germanic origin of ramper is generally accepted (as by Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Trésor de la langue française), the semantic connections are tenuous. Hypothetically akin to this verb is a noun *hrampa- meaning "hook, claw," whence Italian rampa "claw, talon," alongside Spanish, Catalan rampa "cramp, spasm." Suggested Indo-European comparisons (Lithuanian kremblỹs "chantarelle," Greek krámbos "clear, dry [of a sound]") are even more tenuous.

Noun (3)

derivative of ramp entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1980, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1826, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (3)

1671, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ramp was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ramp

Cite this Entry

“Ramp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ramp. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ramp

noun
ˈramp
: a sloping way or plane: as
a
: a sloping passage or roadway connecting different levels
b
: a slope for launching boats

More from Merriam-Webster on ramp

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!