stampede

1 of 2

noun

stam·​pede (ˌ)stam-ˈpēd How to pronounce stampede (audio)
1
: a wild headlong rush or flight of frightened animals
2
: a mass movement of people at a common impulse
3
: an extended festival combining a rodeo with exhibitions, contests, and social events

stampede

2 of 2

verb

stampeded; stampeding

transitive verb

1
: to cause to run away in headlong panic
2
: to cause (a group or mass of people) to act on sudden or rash impulse

intransitive verb

1
: to flee headlong in panic
2
: to act on mass impulse
stampeder noun

Examples of stampede in a Sentence

Noun a stampede to the exits a stampede to buy the stock a stampede of new applicants Verb People stampeded to the exits. The gunshot stampeded the cattle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Israeli military has said that most of the people died in a stampede and that some were run over by the trucks. Anushka Patil, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Over 100 people died, either shot by Israeli soldiers or crushed in a stampede. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024 Later, the Israeli Army said that its troops had felt threatened, and that some Palestinians died in a stampede. Zaina Arafat, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Last March, the city imposed a midnight curfew after stampedes and a pair of deadly shootings on Ocean Drive, including a gruesome incident on a crowded sidewalk that was captured in a viral video. Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2024 Two dozen others were injured by gunfire and at least 18 others were hurt in the stampede that followed. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 This moment follows a pivotal scene from the story in which Mowgli escorts a herd of buffalo home after using them to kill his enemy, the tiger Shere Khan, in a stampede. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 The Israeli military continues to insist the deaths were caused by a stampede. CBS News, 3 Mar. 2024 Dozens of Palestinians were killed in the stampede, and some were run over by the trucks as the drivers tried to get away, said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson. Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
There was a shooting, stampedes through sensitive dune areas, and a massive traffic jam that shut down the island’s two-lane causeway, preventing access for emergency vehicles. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 Wild melees, unruly crowds, brazen shootings that included two homicides, stampedes and lawless behavior – some of which were captured in viral videos on social media – ran rampant through the streets of South Beach. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 29 Feb. 2024 Israeli officials disputed the number of dead but did not say how many had died and said many had been killed by stampeding crowds or run over by aid trucks. Raf Sanchez, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024 Videos have shown stampedes breaking out, and hundreds of people crushed together scrabbling for food. Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2024 Combine this with a radical cost advantage and most Davinci users are likely to stampede to ChatGPT in the coming weeks. Rob Reid, Ars Technica, 9 Mar. 2023 The vessels incited stampedes down store aisles and sold out in minutes. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2024 Sometimes the levels change—a herd of enemies will come stampeding at you or all the pipes will start wriggling around like worms. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 31 Aug. 2023 Touching one of these seeds can lead to anything from an impromptu musical performance by singing-and-dancing piranha plants to a ride on a herd of stampeding beasts to a short pop quiz about your gameplay stats, and practically everything in between. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stampede.' 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

American Spanish estampida, from Spanish, crash, from estampar to stamp, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German stampfōn to stamp

First Known Use

Noun

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1838, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stampede was in 1828

Dictionary Entries Near stampede

Cite this Entry

“Stampede.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stampede. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stampede

1 of 2 noun
stam·​pede stam-ˈpēd How to pronounce stampede (audio)
1
: a wild rush or flight of frightened animals
2
: a sudden movement of a crowd of people

stampede

2 of 2 verb
stampeded; stampeding
1
: to run away or cause (as cattle) to run away in panic
2
: to act together or cause to act together suddenly and without thought
Etymology

Noun

from a word in the Spanish of Mexico and the American Southwest, estampida "stampede," from Spanish estampida "a crash, loud noise," from estamper "to pound, stamp"

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