Meaning & use
tamp down
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Meanings
phrasephrasal verb
To press something such as soil or coffee grounds down firmly so that it becomes compact.
Grammar: Takes an object and can be split: tamp down the soil or tamp the soil down.
Patterns
- tamp down something
- tamp something down
He tamped down the soil around the new tree.
Use the tool to tamp the coffee down before brewing.
Workers tamped down the gravel before laying the path.
phrasephrasal verbfigurative
To reduce the strength of something, such as fear, anger, excitement or a rumor.
Grammar: Takes an object and is figurative: tamp down expectations.
Patterns
- tamp down something
- tamp something down
The mayor tried to tamp down fears about the water supply.
Officials moved quickly to tamp down rumors of a closure.
The coach tamped down expectations before the season began.
Word forms
| third person singular | tamps down |
|---|---|
| past | tamped down |
| past participle | tamped down |
| -ing form | tamping down |
Common combinations
- tamp down expectations
- The company tried to tamp down expectations about the new phone.
- tamp down fears
- Doctors tried to tamp down fears of an outbreak.
- tamp down rumors
- She issued a statement to tamp down rumors.
- tamp down the soil
- Tamp down the soil gently so the roots stay in contact.
- tamp down inflation
- Higher rates were meant to tamp down inflation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pack down
- Pack down is only literal and means pressing material tight, while tamp down also works figuratively for emotions.
- dampen
- Dampen means to make feelings or enthusiasm weaker, whereas tamp down suggests deliberately pressing them back.
- quell
- Quell is more formal and suggests ending something such as a riot, while tamp down is often about lowering it.
- compress
- Compress means squeezing something into a smaller space, but tamp down can describe flattening or calming.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: tamp down or tamper?
tamp down vs tamper
Tamper means to interfere with something without permission (tamper with a lock). It is a different verb from tamp, although the two look alike.
Practice
The spokesperson spoke calmly in order to ___ public fears about the storm.
Choose one answer.
Tamp down fears means to reduce them. Stir up would mean the opposite, which is a tempting but wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tamp down”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.