to stamp down
- phrasal verb
- /stæmp daʊn/
- The committee aims to stamp down on wasteful spending in the budget this year.
But doesn't mean, of course, that the government can't grow even larger and stamp down, you know, those, those those openings.
- But doesn't mean, of course, that the government can't grow even larger and stamp down, you know, those, those those openings.
Examples
-
The police decided to stamp down on the protests to restore order in the city.
-
I will stamp down and break it at the knee.
Fiction book (1994) -
But doesn't mean, of course, that the government can't grow even larger and stamp down, you know, those, those those openings.
-
After the scandal, the manager had to stamp down on any rumors about his leadership.
Synonyms
To take control of a place by force or to beat something hard like a fear
To stop public protest by force or by people in power
To take strong action to stop illegal or wrong behavior
To end something so it no longer happens
To bring a person or thing under control, often by force
Use force to stop protests or opposition
To stop something completely using strong action
Take strong action to stop something bad or illegal
Forcefully stop something like a protest or rumor
Antonyms
How Forceful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The core meaning (to suppress or forcefully put an end to something) can be linked to the literal combination of 'stamp' (press down/heavy foot action) + 'down' (bring down/defeat), so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer suppression. However, the extension from a physical pressing to institutional or political suppression is metaphorical and may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partly transparent.
Etymology
The phrasal verb stamp down comes from the image of someone stamping their foot down to crush or stop something. So it now means 'to put an end to something' or 'bring it under control by force or power'.