hamper
English · Thesaurus
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hamper¹
- /ˈhæm.pə/ Australia, UK
- /ˈham.pə/ British, Northern England, Southern
- /ˈhæm.pɚ/ US
- /ˈham.pəɾ/ Scotland
- /ˈhɛm.pə/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -æmpə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English hamper, contracted from hanaper, hanypere, from Anglo-Norman hanaper, Old French hanapier, hanepier (“case for holding a large goblet or cup”), from hanap (“goblet, drinking cup”), from Frankish *hnapp (“cup, bowl, basin”), from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz (“cup, bowl”).
Cognate with Old High German hnapf (“cup, bowl, basin”) (German Napf (“bowl”)), Dutch nap (“cup”), Old English hnæpp (“bowl”). More at nap.
noun hampers · hampire
- A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles or small animals. a hamper of wine
- A wicker or plastic basket specifically for holding laundry (from clothes hamper).
- A gift basket.
verb hampers · hampering · hampered · hampire
- To put into a hamper. Competition pigeons are hampered for the truck trip to the point of release where the race back starts.
hamper²
- /ˈhæm.pə/ Australia, UK
- /ˈham.pə/ British, Northern England, Southern
- /ˈhæm.pɚ/ US
- /ˈham.pəɾ/ Scotland
- /ˈhɛm.pə/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -æmpə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English hamperen, hampren (“to hamper, oppress”), probably of the same origin as English hamble (“to limp”), Scots hamp (“to halt in walking, stutter”), Dutch haperen (“to falter, hesitate”), German hemmen (“to stop, hinder, check”). More at hamble.
verb hampers · hampering · hampered
noun hampers
- A shackle; a fetter; anything which impedes.
- Articles ordinarily indispensable, but in the way at certain times. One afternoon there was a mighty queer noise aloft, which set the men running in every direction. It was the main-t'-gallant-mast. Crash! it broke off just above the cap, and held there by the rigging, dashed with every roll from side to side, with all the hamper that belonged to it.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: shackle, halter, trammel, cramp, hinder, handicap, bond, disadvantage, trammels, wastebasket, basket, block, stall, fetter, hobble, nag
Translations
Every language
noun large basket
| Español | cesto, canasto, canastro, banasta, banasto, cuévano |
|---|---|
| Português | balaio, seira, canastra |
| Français | panier d'osier, bourriche |
| Deutsch | Korb |
| Italiano | cesta, cesto, canestro, paniere |
| Русский | корзи́на korzína |
verb to put into a hamper
| Italiano | ingabbiare, rinchiudere |
|---|
verb to put a hamper or fetter on; to shackle; to ensnare; to inveigle
| Español | estorbar, obstaculizar |
|---|---|
| Português | impedir, estorvar, obstruir |
| Français | entraver |
| Deutsch | sich verstricken, sich verheddern |
| Italiano | impedire, ostacolare, ostruire, bloccare, sbarrare, intralciare |
| Русский | затрудня́ть zatrudnjátʹ |
verb to impede in motion or progress
| Español | dificultar |
|---|---|
| Français | entraver, empêcher |
| Deutsch | aufhalten, behindern, hemmen |
noun anything which impedes
| Français | obstacle |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Hindernis, Hemmnis, Hemmschuh |
| Italiano | ostacolo, impedimento, ingombro |
noun articles ordinarily indispensable, but in the way at certain times
| Italiano | ingombro di coperta |
|---|
Talk about this word "hamper." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hamper. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hamper. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hamper "hamper." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hamper.Cite this
@misc{hamper_2026,
title = {hamper},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hamper},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
