What does "vamp" mean?
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.
Vamp
/væmp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: 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.
- Grammar: vamp is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: coquette, femme fatale, flirt, minx.
- Useful contrasts: Casanova, condense, ignore.
- Usage evidence: The flow of water was in my ears, and in my eyes a hazy spreading, and upon my brain a closure, as a cobbler sews a vamp up.
How to use "vamp"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "vamp" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "vamp" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "vamp" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "vamp" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "vamp" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "coquette" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "vamp", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
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.
"The flow of water was in my ears, and in my eyes a hazy spreading, and upon my brain a closure, as a cobbler sews a vamp up."
- 2 A flirtatious, seductive woman, especially one who exploits men by using their sexual desire for her; femme fatale.
"It is the vamp who has a sense of humor that can really hold a man. She laughs at him, even as she is seeking to allure him—and he adores it."
- 3 A volunteer firefighter. US, slang
"John Mackin is one of the old-timers of the new Department. He was a volunteer fireman as well, […] John Mackin was among the number of "old vamps" who made application to the first Board of Fire Commissioners for appointment in the Paid Department."
- 4 piece of leather forming the front part of the upper of a shoe wordnet
- 5 Something added to give an old thing a new appearance.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A vampire. informal
"The leader of the vampire cult (played by Ramon D'Salva) leads his cult of fellow vamps in an attack against some nasty werewolves."
- 7 an improvised musical accompaniment wordnet
- 8 Something patched up, pieced together, improvised, or refurbished.
- 9 a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men wordnet
- 10 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.
"I would go even further and say that, once [Stephen] Sondheim had ceased to compose classical music with its nonspecific accompaniments, he began to explore how effectively a vamp can flesh out a character for the stage. He had little need to write distinctive vamps for his Williams [College] shows, but already in 1954—before the highly characteristic vamps in West Side Story—we see him growing in his ability to get under a character's skin through his accompaniment."
- 11 An activity or speech intended to fill or stall for time. broadly
Verb
- 1 To patch, repair, or refurbish. transitive
"'Set me some great task, ye gods! and I will show my spirit.' 'Not so,' says the good Heaven; 'plod and plough, vamp your old coats and hats, weave a shoestring; great affairs and the best wine by and by.'"
- 2 To seduce or exploit someone. intransitive, transitive
"We want a musical-comedy star to vamp a Senator or a member of the Cabinet; we want the protective tariff revised up or down because of an actress' whim; we want scarlet scandal in high life. And we are not likely to get them."
- 3 provide (a shoe) with a new vamp wordnet
- 4 Often as vamp up: to fabricate or put together (something) from existing material, or by adding new material to something existing. transitive
"He has vamp'd an old speech, and the court to their sorrow, / Shall hear him harangue against Prior to morrow."
- 5 To turn (someone) into a vampire. slang, transitive
"If I knew what I know now before I got vamped, I'd do the same thing."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 act seductively with (someone) wordnet
- 7 To cobble together, to extemporize, to improvise. transitive
"A paſt, vamp'd, future, old, reviv'd, nevv piece, / 'Tvvixt Plautus, Fletcher, Congreve, and Corneille, / Can make a C——r, Jo——n, or O——ll."
- 8 To cosplay a vampire. intransitive
"I'm planning to vamp real hard at Friday night's party."
- 9 piece (something old) with a new part wordnet
- 10 To cobble together, to extemporize, to improvise.; To perform a vamp (“a repeated, often improvised accompaniment, for example, under dialogue or while waiting for a soloist to be ready”). ambitransitive, specifically, transitive
""It is so unkind to joke about it," said the beautiful young lady. "What shall I do? If somebody will vamp an accompaniment, I can get on very well without any music. But if I try to play for myself I shall break down.""
- 11 concoct something artificial or untrue wordnet
- 12 To attach a vamp (to footwear). transitive
"The shoe is now ready to be vamped after the eyelets are put in."
- 13 To travel by foot; to walk. ambitransitive, dialectal
"Well, vamp on to Marlott, will 'ee, and order that carriage, and maybe I'll drive round and inspect the club."
- 14 To delay or stall for time, as for an audience. intransitive
"Keep vamping! Something’s wrong with the mic!"
- 15 To pawn. UK, obsolete, slang, transitive
"'I'll find my own fencing cove or else vamp it to a pawnbroker.'"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The flow of water was in my ears, and in my eyes a hazy spreading, and upon my brain a closure, as a cobbler sews a vamp up."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "vamp"?
Common synonyms include: coquette, femme fatale, flirt, minx, seductress, accompany.
How do you use "vamp" in a sentence?
The flow of water was in my ears, and in my eyes a hazy spreading, and upon my brain a closure, as a cobbler sews a vamp up.
How do you pronounce "vamp"?
Pronounced /væmp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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”). Sense 4 (“repeated and often improvised musical accompaniment”) was probably derived from sense 3, and sense 5 (“activity to fill or stall for time”) from sense 4. The verb senses were derived from the noun. Compare also Middle English vaum-peien (“(uncertain) to repair (footwear) with a new upper or vamp; to fabricate an upper or vamp”).
Etymology 2
Clipping of vampire. From a character type developed first for silent film, notably for Theda Bara's role in the 1915 film A Fool There Was. The verb is derived from the noun.
Etymology 3
Uncertain; possibly related to vamp (etymology 1, above): see the 2008 quotation.