tamper with
pər verb (used without object)
1.
to meddle, especially for the purpose of altering, damaging, or misusing (usually followed by with ): Someone has been tampering with the lock.
2.
to make changes in something, especially in order to falsify (usually followed by with ): to tamper with official records.
3.
to engage secretly or improperly in something.
4.
to engage in underhand or corrupt dealings, especially in order to influence improperly (usually followed by with ): Any lawyer who tries to tamper with a jury should be disbarred.
Related forms
tam·per·er, noun
un·tam·pered, adjective
Synonyms
1. interfere.
1. interfere.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To tamper with
00:10
Tamper with
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
tamper1 (ˈtæmpə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | ( |
| 2. | to use corrupt practices such as bribery or blackmail |
| 3. | ( |
| [C16: alteration of | |
| 'tamperer1 | |
| —n | |
| tamper2 (ˈtæmpə) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a person or thing that tamps, esp an instrument for packing down tobacco in a pipe |
| 2. | a casing around the core of a nuclear weapon to increase its efficiency by reflecting neutrons and delaying the expansion |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tamper
1567, figurative use of tamper "to work in clay, etc., so as to mix it thoroughly," probably originally a variant of temper (q.v.), which is how it was initially spelled. Perhaps it is a dialectal workmen's pronunciation. Tamperproof is recorded from 1886.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
tamper with
-
Interfere or meddle, especially in a harmful way. For example, If you tamper with that lock it's sure to break. [c. 1600]
-
Engage in improper or secret dealings, as in He was accused of tampering with the jury. [c. 1600]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Nearby Words
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