vamp

C2 Topic:Art & Music

US /væmp/ UK /væmp/ See IPA manual

Freq #23481

Meanings

1

noun
a short, repeated, often improvised musical accompaniment or chord progression

The pianist repeated a quiet vamp while waiting for the singer's entrance.
2

verb
often as vamp up: to patch, refurbish, or fabricate something by reworking old or existing material

The forger vamped up a convincing fossil from unrelated fragments.
3

noun
the front part of a shoe's upper, covering the toes and instep

The cobbler replaced the cracked leather vamp without changing the sole.
4

noun
dated: a seductive woman, stereotypically one who exploits men

The silent film cast her as a glamorous vamp who deceives the hero.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a short, repeated, often... accompanimentriffostinato

2 verb · often as vamp up: to patch,... patch upcobble togetherrefurbish improvise

3 noun · the front part of a shoe's... shoe upper

4 noun · dated: a seductive woman,... femme fataleseductresssiren

Word family

Forms vamped

Derived forms revampvampervampishvampy

Related forms improvisation shoe vampirefemme fatale

Etymology

The shoe noun comes through Middle English and Anglo-Norman vampe from Old French avantpié ("front of the foot"), from avant ("in front") + pié ("foot"). Replacing a shoe's vamp led to the senses "patch up" and "improvise," then to the musical noun. The seductive-woman sense is a later shortening of vampire, popularized by early cinema.

Topics

Art & Music

External links

# vamp

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /væmp/
**IPA (UK):** /væmp/
**Frequency rank:** 23481

## Meanings
1. a short, repeated, often improvised musical accompaniment or chord progression
2. often as vamp up: to patch, refurbish, or fabricate something by reworking old or existing material
3. the front part of a shoe's upper, covering the toes and instep
4. dated: a seductive woman, stereotypically one who exploits men

## Examples
- The pianist repeated a quiet vamp while waiting for the singer's entrance.
- The forger vamped up a convincing fossil from unrelated fragments.
- The cobbler replaced the cracked leather vamp without changing the sole.
- The silent film cast her as a glamorous vamp who deceives the hero.

## Synonyms
- accompaniment
- riff
- improvise
- patch up
- refurbish
- shoe upper
- femme fatale

## Derived Forms
- revamp
- vamper
- vampish
- vampy

## Related Forms
- improvisation
- shoe
- vampire
- femme fatale

## Etymology
The shoe noun comes through Middle English and Anglo-Norman vampe from Old French avantpié ("front of the foot"), from avant ("in front") + pié ("foot"). Replacing a shoe's vamp led to the senses "patch up" and "improvise," then to the musical noun. The seductive-woman sense is a later shortening of vampire, popularized by early cinema.

## Topics
- Art & Music

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