stampede
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A wild headlong rush of frightened animals.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
stampeedSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
stæmˈpid
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A wild headlong rush of frightened animals (horses or cattle)
A wild, headlong running away or scamper of a number of animals, usually caused by fright.
by extension
A situation in which many people in a crowd are trying to move in the same direction at the same time, especially in consequence of a panic.
A headlong rush of people on a common impulse
“When he shouted `fire' there was a stampede to the exits.”
figurative
A sudden unconcerted acting together of a number of persons due to, or as if due to, some common impulse.
by extensionCanadaUS
An event at which cowboy skills are displayed; a rodeo.
verb
Cause to run in panic
transitiveby extension
To cause (people in a crowd) to move in the same direction at the same time, especially due to panic.
intransitivefigurative
Of people: to act in a sudden unconcerted manner due to, or as if due to, some common impulse.
transitive
To cause (a drove or herd of animals) to run away or scamper in a wild, headlong manner, usually due to fright.
transitive
To cause animals (owned by a person) to run away or scamper in this manner.
Act, usually en masse, hurriedly or on an impulse
“Companies will now stampede to release their latest software.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A wild headlong rush of frightened animals (horses or cattle)
Used this way, stampede is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It sounds natural in ordinary conversation and in expressive writing alike.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Everyday but emotionally strong
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Wild / headlongnoun
“When he shouted `fire' there was a stampede to the exits.”
Masseverb
“Companies will now stampede to release their latest software.”
More ways to use stampede
- “Companies will now stampede to release their latest software.”verb
- “When he shouted `fire' there was a stampede to the exits.”noun
- “The tavern owners stampeded us into overeating.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “stampede” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.