vamp Meaning & Definition
What Does Vamp Mean?
As a noun, vamp means The part of hose or stockings which covers the foot and ankle; a sock or short stocking. It can also mean The top part of a boot or shoe, above the sole and welt and in front of the ankle seam, that covers the instep and toes; the front part of an upper. As a verb, it means To patch, repair, or refurbish. As a verb, it means To seduce or exploit someone.
Vamp at a Glance
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /væmp/ |
| Synonyms | minx, tease and flirt |
| Plural | vamps |
| Verb forms | vamps, vamping, vamped |
Vamp Definition (Noun)
- The part of hose or stockings which covers the foot and ankle; a sock or short stocking.
- The top part of a boot or shoe, above the sole and welt and in front of the ankle seam, that covers the instep and toes; the front part of an upper.
- Something added to give an old thing a new appearance.
- Something patched up, pieced together, improvised, or refurbished.
- A repeated and often improvised accompaniment, usually consisting of one or two measures, often a single chord or simple chord progression, repeated as necessary, for example, to accommodate dialogue or to anticipate the entrance of a soloist.
- An activity or speech intended to fill or stall for time.
Vamp as a Verb
- To patch, repair, or refurbish.
- Often as vamp up: to fabricate or put together (something) from existing material, or by adding new material to something existing.
- To cobble together, to extemporize, to improvise. To perform a vamp (“a repeated, often improvised accompaniment, for example, under dialogue or while waiting for a soloist to be ready”).
- To perform a vamp (“a repeated, often improvised accompaniment, for example, under dialogue or while waiting for a soloist to be ready”).
- To attach a vamp (to footwear).
- To travel by foot; to walk.
- To delay or stall for time, as for an audience.
Keep vamping! Something’s wrong with the mic!
- To pawn.
Noun
- A flirtatious, seductive woman, especially one who exploits men by using their sexual desire for her.
- A vampire.
Verb
- To seduce or exploit someone.
- To turn (someone) into a vampire.
- To cosplay a vampire.
I'm planning to vamp real hard at Friday night's party.
Noun
- A volunteer firefighter.
Noun
- The top part of a boot or shoe, above the sole and welt and in front of the ankle seam, that covers the instep and toes; the front part of an upper; the analogous part of a stocking.
- (by extension) An activity or speech intended to fill or stall for time.
Verb
- To cobble together, to extemporize, to improvise.
- (shoemaking) To attach a vamp (to footwear).
Synonyms of Vamp
Vamp synonyms and antonyms →Vamp in a Sentence
Keep vamping! Something’s wrong with the mic!
She went out there to vamp since the speaker was late arriving.
I'm planning to vamp real hard at Friday night's party.
Word Forms & Grammar
vamp (plural vamps)
vamp (third-person singular simple present vamps, present participle vamping, simple past and past participle vamped)
Words That Rhyme With Vamp
Origin of Vamp
Origin 1: From Middle English vaumpe, vaum-pei, vampe (“covering for the foot, perhaps a slipper or understocking; upper of a boot or shoe”), or from Anglo-Norman vampe, *vaumpé (“part of a stocking covering the top of the foot”), from Old French avantpied, avantpiet, variants of avantpié,[1] from avant (“in front”) + pié (“foot”).[2]
Origin 2: Noun senses 2 and 3 (“a patch; something patched up or improvised”) appear to have been extended from sense 1 (“top part of a boot or shoe”). Sense 4 (“repeated and often improvised musical accompaniment”) was probably derived from sense 3, and sense 5 (“activity to fill or stall for time”) from sense 4.
Origin 3: The verb senses were derived from the noun.[3] Compare also Middle English vaum-peien (“(uncertain) to repair (footwear) with a new upper or vamp; to fabricate an upper or vamp”).[4]
Origin 4: Clipping of vampire.[5] From a character type developed first for silent film, notably for Theda Bara's role in the 1915 film A Fool There Was.
Questions People Ask About Vamp
Is vamp a noun or a verb?
Vamp is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for vamp?
You can replace vamp with words such as minx, tease and flirt. See the full list of vamp synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of vamp?
The plural of vamp is vamps.
What is the past tense of vamp?
The past tense of vamp is vamped. The present participle is vamping.