DCHP-1 Online

stampede ((n.)) [< Am.E < Am.Sp. estampida]

• 1a † n. a wild, unrestrained rush of animals, usually set in motion by fright.

  • 1855  If the animals become frightened they will start off in a regular stampede breaking down every barrier that stands in their way.
  • 1929  One of the most thrilling and most terrifying sights of those early days was the stampede of a vast herd of buffalo before a prairie fire.
  • 1963  [The] stories one reads of stampedes and terrible nights with cattle may not all be true, but all could be; for a bunch of big steers are twice as "spooky" as a mixed bunch. . . .

• 1b † n. a rush of people to get somewhere.

  • 1854  On the first appearance of a break up in March there is a regular stampede among the teamsters. . . .
  • 1859  Many of them speak in gloomy terms of mining and business prospects and predict a general stampede from the upper country.
  • 1966  . . . when the train pulled into the divisional point at Ignace, Ont., there was a stampede for the station saloon, where every bottle was seized.

• 1c † n. a rush of people to a place where gold, silver, etc. has been discovered.

  See also: gold rush  

  • 1898  All the rest of the creeks of the district, some thirty or forty, which have had their stampedes and booms, and some of which may turn out very rich, are not expected to yield any money from the winter's work.
  • 1965  Not only was it the last of the old-fashioned stampedes in which dog teams and men vied for space along the narrow trail, but it also ushered in the air age of prospecting.

• 2 n. an exhibition of skills in various activities associated with ranching, such as riding, roping, and bull-dogging, also offering chuckwagon races, a grandstand show, etc.

  See also: rodeo  

  • 1912  (191)  Stampede . . . a picturesque name for shows and exhibitions of the Wild West description.
  • 1923  Picturesque stampedes take place every summer in the July celebrations at Banff. . . .
  • 1945  Later that year Miss Hind was in Calgary at the first stampede.
  • 1964  The Indian "pow wows" held in recent years at North Vancouver, the "Indian Days" at Kamloops, and other gatherings such as the Williams Lake stampedes are similar occasions for Indians to enjoy renewed social contacts and gain recognition as Indians.