Meaning & use
vamp
A woman who uses charm and sex appeal to manipulate or exploit men, especially in older fiction and film.
See it in a sentence
The 1920s silent film cast her as a vamp who ruins the hero's marriage.
Old movie posters often show the vamp draped in furs and dark makeup.
A note on using this word
"Vamp" is dated and can sound sexist today; the word is now more common as a verb meaning to improvise a musical passage.
Words with a similar meaning
seductressfemme fatale
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. verb
To improvise a simple, repeated musical accompaniment, especially on piano or guitar.
The pianist vamped quietly while the singer found her key.
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