From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstampedestam‧pede1 /stæmˈpiːd/ noun [countable] 1 RUNwhen a group of people all want to do the same thing at the same time a stampede to buy shares in high-tech companies2 RUNwhen a group of large animals or people suddenly start running in the same direction because they are frightened or excited a cattle stampede
Examples from the Corpus
stampede• To avoid a stampede, no advance notice was given of his appearances.• Co. has roped First Interstate Bancorp but competitors hope for a stampede of disenchanted customers from the merged bank.• Competitors are hoping for a stampede of unhappy customers from the troubled bank.• Dozens of doors are slammed, and there is a stampede for the lifts.• Commuters die in stampede A stampede in a stairway at a railway station in Johannesburg killed seven people and injured eight others.• Is the discount sports shoe place up ahead or already left behind in the smoking stampede of rushing cars?• All the chemists' shops stocked up, ready for the stampede.• The photographers looked ready to stampede.stampedestampede2 verb 1 RUN[intransitive, transitive] if a group of large animals or people stampede, they suddenly start running together in the same direction because they are frightened or excited a herd of stampeding buffalo Children came stampeding out of the school doors.2 → be/get stampeded→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
stampede• The crowd looked on the verge of stampeding.• There was a peacock there, stampeded by the queue.• He was furious with Khrushchev for breaking the moratorium, but he refused to be stampeded into a new series of tests.• Boys of thirteen and fourteen were stampeding out of school, roaring, jeering and swearing.• Thousands of spectators stampeded to get out of the stadium and many people were crushed.• The cattle began stampeding toward the town.Origin stampede1 (1800-1900) American Spanish estampida, from Spanish, “crash”, from estampar “to stamp” 