rubber-stamp

1 of 2

verb

rub·​ber-stamp ˈrə-bər-ˈstamp 

rubber-stamped; rubber-stamping; rubber-stamps

transitive verb

1

: to approve, endorse, or dispose of as a matter of routine or at the command of another

2

: to mark with a rubber stamp

rubber stamp

2 of 2

noun

1

: a stamp of rubber for making imprints

2

a

: a person who echoes or imitates others

b

: a mostly powerless yet officially recognized body or person that approves or endorses programs and policies initiated usually by a single specified source

the parliament was a rubber stamp for the dictator

3

a

: a stereotyped copy or expression

the usual rubber stamps of criticism

—H. L. Mencken

b

: a routine endorsement or approval

Synonyms

Noun

• aper
• copycat
• copyist
• echo
• follower
• imitator
• wannabe
• wannabee

Examples of rubber-stamp in a Sentence

Noun

The legislature has been nothing more than a rubber stamp for the President.

an author who was ultimately just another rubber stamp of Hemingway

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

His team is explicitly counting on the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to rubber-stamp an unprecedented expansion of presidential power to fire federal workers at will. —John C. Ronquillo, Baltimore Sun, 9 Dec. 2024

What has happened since is, in a way, similarly unprecedented: Reversing its rubber-stamp legacy, City Council is acting like a true legislative body and engaging in a spirited examination of the mayor’s budget. —David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 6 Dec. 2024

Noun

Meanwhile, Republicans painted Baldwin as a rubber stamp for Vice President Kamala Harris whose votes fueled a border crisis and decades-high inflation. —David Sivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Nov. 2024

Think of them as an early version of a rubber stamp — but one that rolled across a wet clay tablet rather than pounded onto a paper surface. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rubber-stamp

1 of 2 verb

: to approve, endorse, or dispose of as a matter of routine or at the command of another

rubber stamp

2 of 2 noun

: a stamp with a printing face made of rubber