stampede

noun

/stæmˈpiːd/

[countable, usually singular]

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a situation in which a group of people or large animals such as horses suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are frightened or excited
- A stampede broke out when the doors opened.
a situation in which a lot of people are trying to do or achieve the same thing at the same time
- Falling interest rates has led to a stampede to buy property.

Word Originearly 19th cent.: Mexican Spanish use of Spanish estampida ‘crash, uproar’, of Germanic origin; related to the verb stamp.

verb

/stæmˈpiːd/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they stampede	/stæmˈpiːd/ /stæmˈpiːd/
he / she / it stampedes	/stæmˈpiːdz/ /stæmˈpiːdz/
past simple stampeded	/stæmˈpiːdɪd/ /stæmˈpiːdɪd/
past participle stampeded	/stæmˈpiːdɪd/ /stæmˈpiːdɪd/
-ing form stampeding	/stæmˈpiːdɪŋ/ /stæmˈpiːdɪŋ/

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[intransitive, transitive] stampede (something) (of large animals or people) to run in a stampede; to make animals do this
- a herd of stampeding elephants
- A huge bunch of kids came stampeding down the corridor.
- The cattle started to stampede, as if they could sense the danger.
[transitive, usually passive] stampede somebody (into something/into doing something) to make somebody rush into doing something without giving them time to think about it
- I refuse to be stampeded into making any hasty decisions.

Word Originearly 19th cent.: Mexican Spanish use of Spanish estampida ‘crash, uproar’, of Germanic origin; related to the verb stamp.