tamp /tæmp/ (
also tamp down)
verb [transitive always + adverb/preposition][
Date: 1800-1900;
Origin: Perhaps from tampion, tampin 'plug, cover' (15-20 centuries), from French tampon; ⇒ tampon]
to press or push something down by lightly hitting it several times:
The old man tamped down the tobacco with his thumb. [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲