rubber stamp

See synonyms for rubber stamp on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a device with a rubber printing surface that becomes coated with ink by being pressed on an ink-saturated pad, used for imprinting dates, addresses, standard designations or notices, etc., by hand.

  2. a person or government agency that gives approval automatically or routinely.

  1. such approval.

Origin of rubber stamp

1
First recorded in 1885–90

Other definitions for rubber-stamp (2 of 2)

rubber-stamp
[ ruhb-er-stamp ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to imprint with a rubber stamp.

  2. to give approval automatically or without consideration: to rubber-stamp the president's proposals.

adjective
  1. tending to give approval automatically or without due consideration: a rubber-stamp Congress that passed all the president's bills.

Origin of rubber-stamp

2
First recorded in 1915–20; v. use of rubber stamp

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rubber stamp in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rubber stamp

rubber stamp

noun
  1. a device used for imprinting dates or commonly used phrases on forms, invoices, etc

  2. automatic authorization of a payment, proposal, etc, without challenge

  1. a person who makes such automatic authorizations; a cipher or person of little account

verbrubber-stamp (tr)
  1. to imprint (forms, invoices, etc) with a rubber stamp

  2. informal to approve automatically

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with rubber stamp

rubber stamp

A person or organization that automatically approves or endorses a policy without assessing its merit; also, such an approval or endorsement. For example, The nominating committee is merely a rubber stamp; they approve anyone the chairman names, or The dean gave his rubber stamp to the recommendations of the tenure committee. This metaphoric term alludes to the rubber printing device used to imprint the same words over and over. [Early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.