vamp
/væmp/noun, verb
vamp is spelled V-A-M-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, vamp means “The top part of a boot or shoe, above the sole and welt and in front of the ankle seam, that covers the instep and toes; the front part of an upper…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of vamp is vamps.
How many letters and syllables are in vamp?
| Letters | 4: V-A-M-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,504th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is vamp?
Vamp appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce vamp?
- US /væmp/
Vamp has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-vamp.ogg, En-au-vamp.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with vamp?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as vamp from its last stressed vowel (/æmp/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of vamp
- vamps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- vamping participle, present
- vamped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vamp mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The top part of a boot or shoe, above the sole and welt and in front of the ankle seam, that covers the instep and toes; the front part of an upper; the analogous part of a stocking.
- 2
Something added to give an old thing a new appearance.
- 3
Something patched up, pieced together, improvised, or refurbished.
- 4
A repeated and often improvised accompaniment, usually consisting of one or two measures, often a single chord or simple chord progression, repeated as necessary, for example, to accommodate dialogue or to anticipate the entrance of a soloist.
- 5
An activity or speech intended to fill or stall for time.
- 6
A flirtatious, seductive woman, especially one who exploits men by using their sexual desire for her.
- 7
informalA vampire.
- 8
USslangA volunteer firefighter.
verb
- 1
To patch, repair, or refurbish.
- 2
Often as vamp up: to fabricate or put together (something) from existing material, or by adding new material to something existing.
- 3
To cobble together, to extemporize, to improvise.
- 4
To perform a vamp (“a repeated, often improvised accompaniment, for example, under dialogue or while waiting for a soloist to be ready”).
- 5
To attach a vamp (to footwear).
- 6
To travel by foot; to walk.
- 7
To delay or stall for time, as for an audience.
Keep vamping! Something’s wrong with the mic!
- 8
UKobsoleteslangTo pawn.
- 9
To seduce or exploit someone.
- 10
slangTo turn (someone) into a vampire.
- 11
To cosplay a vampire.
I'm planning to vamp real hard at Friday night's party.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vamp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | empeigne , vamp |
| Spanish | pala, pala vega, empeine , ser trola, improvisar |
| German | Vamp |
| Portuguese | vampe |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does vamp come from?
From Middle English vaumpe, vaum-pei, vampe (“covering for the foot, perhaps a slipper or understocking; upper of a boot or shoe”), or from Anglo-Norman vampe, *vaumpé (“part of a stocking covering the top of the foot”), from Old French avantpied, avantpiet, variants of avantpié, from avant (“in front”) + pié (“foot”). Noun senses 2 and 3 (“a patch; something patched up or improvised”) appear to have been extended from sense 1 (“top part of a boot or shoe”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).