stampede

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stam·pede / stamˈpēd/ • n. a sudden panicked rush of a number of horses, cattle, or other animals. ∎  a sudden rapid movement or reaction of a mass of people in response to a particular circumstance or stimulus: a stampede of bargain hunters. ∎  a rodeo: the Calgary Stampede.• v. [intr.] (of horses, cattle, or other animals) rush wildly in a sudden mass panic: the nearby sheep stampeded as if they sensed impending danger. ∎  [intr.] (of people) move rapidly in a mass: the children stampeded through the kitchen, playing tag or hide-and-seek. ∎  [tr.] cause (people or animals) to move in such a way: the raiders stampeded 200 mules | fig. don't let them stampede us into anything. DERIVATIVES: stam·ped·er n.

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