stampede

/stæmˈpid/

/stæmˈpid/

Other forms: stampeded; stampeding; stampedes

Do you see hundreds of cattle thundering toward you? Then stop reading and get out of there! A stampede is coming.

Stampede is a word for animal behavior that fits people sometimes too. During the holidays, desperate parents might stampede the mall, especially the toy stores. Fans of a popular movie might stampede to get tickets. A stampede of teen girls can usually be found chasing the latest boy bands. Stampede can be a noun or a verb, but either way, look out!

Definitions of stampede

1. noun

   a wild headlong rush of frightened animals (horses or cattle)
   type of:

   change of location, travel

   a movement through space that changes the location of something
2. noun

   a headlong rush of people on a common impulse
   “when he shouted `fire' there was a stampede to the exits”

   type of:

   group action

   action taken by a group of people
3. verb

   cause to run in panic
   “Thunderbolts can stampede animals”
4. verb

   cause a group or mass of people to act on an impulse or hurriedly and impulsively
   “The tavern owners stampeded us into overeating”
5. verb

   run away in a stampede
   type of:

   flee, fly, take flight

   run away quickly
6. verb

   act, usually en masse, hurriedly or on an impulse
   “Companies will now stampede to release their latest software”

   type of:

   act, move

   perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)