hamper
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
noun
-
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.
Synonym Usage
See prevent.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have hamperedperfect
-
has hamperedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been hamperingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am hamperingprogressive 1st person singular
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are hamperingprogressive
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is hamperingprogressive 3rd person singular
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hamperssingular 3rd person
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have been hamperingperfect progressive
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hamperingparticiple
Past
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had hamperedperfect
-
were hamperingprogressive plural
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was hamperingprogressive singular
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had been hamperingperfect progressive
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hamperedparticiple
-
hamperedsimple
Future
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
Explanation
Anything that hampers slows progress or makes it difficult to do something. You might think that the presence of your parents hampers your ability to look cool. The verb hamper is for those times when normal progress is slow but not shut down completely. Hamper often describes travel during bad weather, like icy conditions that could hamper holiday travel. Hamper means "slow going." You may have heard of noun form of hamper, a container for holding dirty laundry: If your hamper is full, the need to do laundry could hamper your plans of going out and having fun.
Vocabulary lists containing hamper
Where the Red Fern Grows
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The Week in Words: March 24 - 30, 2018
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Wit, Wisdom, AND Vocabulary from Those We Lost in 2015
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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.
And as companies increasingly turn to external financing to pay for the ongoing AI buildout, higher yields could hamper some companies’ ability to finance new data centers.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
The shortage is straining a market where supplies can’t be switched on quickly, threatening to hamper production of everything from semiconductors to military-drone components and space rockets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Daley told BBC News that the closure of the pool at the Citadel leisure centre could hamper any growth of the sport in Scotland.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
However, a domestic alternative could still hamper Nvidia’s ambitions in China.
From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026
I say, throwing my Chicago clothes into the laundry hamper while scouting for new hiding places for my agendas and notebooks.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
