v., -pled, -pling, -ples. v.tr.
- To beat down with the feet so as to crush, bruise, or destroy; tramp on.
- To treat harshly or ruthlessly: would trample anyone who got in their way.
- To tread heavily or destructively: trampling on the flowers.
- To inflict injury as if by treading heavily: "trampling on the feelings of those about you" (Thornton Wilder).
The action or sound of trampling.
[Middle English tramplen, frequentative of trampen, to tramp. See tramp.]
trampler tram'pler n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.