hamper
1 Americannoun
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a large basket or wickerwork receptacle, usually with a cover.
picnic hamper;
clothes hamper.
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British. such a basket together with its contents, especially food.
noun
-
a large basket, usually with a cover
-
such a basket and its contents, usually food
-
a laundry basket
verb
noun
Usage
What does hamper mean? To hamper means to hold back or impede something or someone, as in The road crew hampered traffic, causing a line of cars that went back for miles.Figuratively, hamper can mean to interfere with or diminish, as in The singers practicing in the next room really hampered my ability to study.Related to this in nautical terms, a hamper is gear that is necessary but gets in the way.There is another sense of the noun hamper that comes from a different origin. This hamper is a large basket, often made of wicker (or something that looks like wicker) and having a cover. Most often, this type of hamper is associated with dirty clothes (a laundry or clothes hamper), but there are lots of things a hamper can hold, like a picnic lunch or small toys.Example: I hope this rain doesn’t end up hampering the party at all.
Related Words
See prevent.
Other Word Forms
- hamperedly adverb
- hamperedness noun
- hamperer noun
- unhampered adjective
- unhampering adjective
Etymology
Origin of hamper1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English hampren; akin to Old English hamm “enclosure,” hemm hem 1
Origin of hamper2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English hampere, variant of hanypere hanaper
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This bias not only hurts women who are economists; it can also hamper policymaking by limiting the range of perspectives that inform economic decisions.
From Salon
The Ulster Farmers' Union said "draconian planning rules" were hampering some farmers in their efforts to modernise and ease the challenges they face in managing nutrients on farms.
From BBC
Limited resources and extreme weather hampered police efforts, with searchers hindered by heavy rainfall, freezing conditions and snow.
From BBC
"Production delays hampered the group's performance, leading to multiple profit downgrades over the last year," he added.
From Barron's
Senior officials in Italian cricket fear potential reputational damage, and the possibility of legal cases, will hamper opportunities to capitalise on their debut T20 World Cup appearance and grow the game further in the country.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
