stampede
noun
stam·pede
| \ (ˌ)stam-ˈpēd
\
\
Definition of stampede
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
verb
stampeded;
stampeding
Definition of stampede (Entry 2 of 2)
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
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Examples of stampede in a Sentence
Noun
a stampede to the exits a stampede to buy the stock a stampede of new applicantsVerb
People stampeded to the exits. The gunshot stampeded the cattle.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
This led to a stampede where one woman was badly injured. — Mark Chingono, Bukola Adebayo And Brent Swails, CNN, "Violence escalates in Zimbabwe as court rules against opposition protests," 16 Aug. 2019 Internal migrations—rural-to-urban stampedes—sweep up 139 million citizens within India. — Paul Salopek, National Geographic, "A storyteller chronicles the mass migrations that define our age," 17 July 2019 Police said 14 people suffered injuries related to the stampede, but none of the injuries were life-threatening. — NBC News, "Warning about possible shooter sparked Navy Pier stampede, Chicago police say," 6 July 2019 The July Fourth fireworks off Chicago’s Navy Pier drew a crowd that retreated into chaos as police say three people were stabbed and a false report of gunfire led to a stampede that left 14 people injured. — Jeff Truesdell, PEOPLE.com, "2 Teens Stabbed, Dozen-Plus People Trampled in Chaotic 'Stampede' at Chicago Fireworks Display," 5 July 2019 The threat of trade war sparked a stampede to safe assets this week, sending the 10-year US Treasury bond yield to a near record low. — Allison Schrager, Quartz, "Interest rates on government bonds are nearing record lows. Here’s why," 10 Aug. 2019 Workers at Forever 21 were suddenly faced with a stampede of people running into the store, herding them to a lower floor. — Michael Wilson, New York Times, "There Was No Gunfire in Times Square. But the Panic Was Still Real.," 7 Aug. 2019 Ideological minorities — including the smallest minority, the individual — can get trampled by the unity stampede (as my friend Kevin Williamson masterfully elucidates in his new book, The Smallest Minority). — Jonah Goldberg, National Review, "Unity Can Be Worse than Partisanship," 26 July 2019 Parents should note that roars are louder, and the wildebeest stampede is startlingly scary. — Nora Mcgreevy, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Lion King’ remake offers a muffled roar," 17 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Exalted One was stampeded into the ground by defenders blocking for the interceptor after the second pick. — Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "Jimmy Garoppolo’s preseason stinker reminds of young Joe Montana’s ugly game," 20 Aug. 2019 Start with Pappas and Kammer, a second-team All-Ohio lineman, and DeAngelis' run-heavy program has the capability to stampede back to the playoffs. — Matt Goul, cleveland.com, "Switch flipped at Valley Forge: 2019 football camp tour," 8 Aug. 2019 The dugout empties, the rest of the team stampedes to shallow left field to find the hero and hug him or tackle him or tear at his jersey. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Electrifying walk-off wins are how these Dodgers roll," 7 Aug. 2019 Students have instead been stampeding into overtly practical subjects such as medicine, veterinary sciences and business studies. — The Economist, "The study of history is in decline in Britain," 18 July 2019 With a packed voice cast including Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Billy Eichner, and Seth Rogen, The Lion King has been stampeding (too soon?) box office records since its release. — Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, "The Lion King reigns supreme, passes $1 billion at global box office," 30 July 2019 Most of the candidates have stampeded to the left on immigration, apparently in hopes of channeling voter indignation and winning support from Latinos. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Democrats are in danger of falling into Trump’s trap on immigration," 21 July 2019 Disney’s The Lion King has stampeded the North American box office. — Joey Nolfi, EW.com, "The Lion King earns prideful $78.5 million on opening day," 20 July 2019 Everyone on it was trapped, coughing, shifting, and muttering in the hot darkness for nearly half an hour before the thing reanimated enough to creep into the next station, where we were released to stampede up the stairs and fight over cabs. — Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, "This Is Pleasure," 8 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stampede.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for stampede
stampede
noun
English Language Learners Definition of stampede
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an occurrence in which a large group of frightened or excited animals or people run together in a wild and uncontrolled way to escape from something, get out of a place, etc.
: a situation in which a lot of people try to do the same thing at the same time
stampede
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of stampede (Entry 2 of 2)
: to run away in a large group from something especially because of fear
: to cause (animals) to run away in a large group
: to cause (a person or a group of people) to do something suddenly and without proper thought
See the full definition for stampede in the English Language Learners Dictionary
stampede
noun
stam·pede
| \ stam-ˈpēd
\
\
Kids Definition of stampede
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a wild rush or flight of frightened animals or people
2
: a sudden foolish action or movement of a large number of people
stampede
verb
stampeded;
stampeding
Kids Definition of stampede (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to run or cause to run away in fright or panic
People stampeded to the exits.
2
: to act or cause to act together suddenly and without thought