Meaning

A wild, headlong running away or scamper of a number of animals, usually caused by fright..

Definitions by Sense

1. A wild, headlong running away or scamper of a number of animals, usually caused by fright.
2. 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.
3. An event at which cowboy skills are displayed; a rodeo.
4. (figurative) A sudden unconcerted acting together of a number of persons due to, or as if due to, some common impulse.
5. To cause (a drove or herd of animals) to run away or scamper in a wild, headlong manner, usually due to fright.
6. To cause animals (owned by a person) to run away or scamper in this manner.
7. To cause (people in a crowd) to move in the same direction at the same time, especially due to panic.
8. To cause (an individual) to act hastily or rashly.

Example Sentences

[T]hey saw a herd of deer reposing, who, on their appearance, rose from their recumbent position, and began to gaze warily at the strangers; then, tossing their horne, they set off on a stampede, but only swept round, and settled down not far from where they were.

Then, like a stream of white bees pouring from a huge swarm, the steers stretched out from the main body. In a few moments, with astonishing rapidity, the whole herd got into motion. […] "It's a stampede, an' a hummer," said Lassiter. […] ["]That stampede will pass within a mile of us."

The annual Muslim Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which is attended by millions of pilgrims, has increasingly suffered from stampedes.

Say, Smoke, this ain't no stampede. It's a exode-us. They must be a thousand men ahead of us an' ten thousand behind.

I asked the conductor if he would ask Chester to hold the 16.35 to Euston—the last through train on a Saturday—but he said Virgin won't hold anything. We came to a stand at Chester at 16.35, and there was a sizeable stampede down the platform for the London train, but it had gone.

a stampede toward US bonds in the credit markets

So all the people, Sheila learned that night, were going away from London; and soon she and her husband would join in the general stampede of the very last dwellers in town.

When the Credit Suisse's top investor, Saudi National Bank, told reporters last Wednesday it would not give more money to the bank, investors and depositors started a stampede for the exit, withdrawing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Word Forms

• stampedes
• stampeding
• stampeded

Synonyms for stampede

Related Words

When Should You Use Stampede?

Use stampede when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions