tramp

1 of 3

verb

ˈtramp 

 intransitive sense 1 & transitive sense 1 are also  ˈträmp,

ˈtrȯmp

tramped; tramping; tramps

intransitive verb

1

: to walk, tread, or step especially heavily

tramped loudly on the stairs

2

a

: to travel about on foot : hike

b

: to journey as a tramp

transitive verb

1

: to tread on forcibly and repeatedly

2

: to travel or wander through or over on foot

have tramped all the woods on their property

tramper noun

tramp

2 of 3

noun

ˈtramp 

 senses 3 & 4 are also  ˈträmp,

ˈtrȯmp

1

a

: vagrant sense 1a

b

: a foot traveler

c

: a woman of loose morals

specifically : prostitute

2

: a walking trip : hike

3

: the succession of sounds made by the beating of feet on a surface (such as a road, pavement, or floor)

4

: an iron plate to protect the sole of a shoe

5

: a ship not making regular trips but taking cargo when and where it offers and to any port

called also tramp steamer

trampy

ˈtram-pē 

adjective

tramp

3 of 3

adjective

ˈtramp 

: having no fixed abode, connection, or destination

a tramp dog

Synonyms

Verb

• barge
• clump
• flog [British]
• flounder
• galumph
• lumber
• lump
• plod
• pound
• scuff
• scuffle
• shamble
• shuffle
• slog
• slough
• stamp
• stomp
• stumble
• stump
• tromp
• trudge

Noun

• bindle stiff
• bum
• bummer
• hobo
• sundowner [Australian]
• swaggie [chiefly Australian]
• swagman [chiefly Australian]
• vagabond
• vagrant

Examples of tramp in a Sentence

Verb

We spent the day tramping through the woods.

He tramped the streets looking for his dog.

Noun

a tramp through the woods

the police encouraged the tramps who were sleeping in the park to spend the bitterly cold night in the homeless shelter

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Images of the model tramping through the fields of Worthy Farm—polystyrene cup in one hand, cig in the other—have featured in just about every nostalgic listicle this magazine has ever published. —Daniel Rodgers, Glamour, 21 June 2024

To see the Sasquatch crew tramping across a ridge, outlined against a pearlescent sky, is to grasp the fragility of their existence, and of ours. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

Noun

On March 7, 1913, rescuers were desperately searching the same waters for survivors of the Alum Cine, a British tramp steamer, that exploded while being loaded with 350 tons of dynamite (nine boxcars’ worth) that was bound to Panama for construction of the canal that was underway. —Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2024

Max, a film and theatre reviewer, tramps up and down Broadway excreting opinion, as contractually obliged, and hating himself for it. —Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023

Adjective

Probably not another tramp stamp but who knows. —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English; akin to Middle Low German trampen to stamp

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1873, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tramp

• tramp art
• tramp stamp

Kids Definition

tramp

1 of 2 verb

ˈtramp 

 senses 1 & 2 are also  ˈträmp,

ˈtrȯmp

1

: to walk heavily

2

: to tread on forcibly and repeatedly

3

: to travel or wander through on foot

tramp the streets

tramper noun

tramp

2 of 2 noun

ˈtramp 

 sense 3 is also  ˈträmp,

ˈtrȯmp

1

: a homeless wanderer who may beg or steal for a living

2

: a walking trip : hike

3

: the sound made by many marching feet

4

: a ship not making regular trips but taking cargo to any port

called also tramp steamer