tamper
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To make unauthorized or improper alterations, sometimes causing deliberate damage.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
tamperSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtæmpɚ
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.
verb
intransitive
To make unauthorized or improper alterations, sometimes causing deliberate damage; to meddle (with something).
intransitive
To try to influence someone, usually in an illegal or devious way; to try to deal (with someone).
noun
A tool for tamping (e.g., for tamping tobacco into a pipe bowl or a charge into a drill hole etc.)
A tool used to tamp something down, such as tobacco in a pipe.
An envelope of neutron-reflecting material in a nuclear weapon, used to delay the expansion of the reacting material and thus produce a longer-lasting and more energetic explosion.
A person or thing that tamps.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To make unauthorized or improper alterations, sometimes causing deliberate damage; to meddle (with something).
Used this way, tamper is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use tamper
- “Someone tampered with the documents on my desk.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of altering something secretly or improperly.
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