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

The last time, when Iger picked Chapek, the board rubber-stamped it. —Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Oct. 2024

Additional debt issuance in China is typically subject to formal approval by its rubber-stamp parliament, which is expected to meet in coming weeks. —Reuters, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024

Noun

Observers hope a specific figure for the stimulus could emerge from this week’s meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the top body of China’s rubber stamp parliament, in Beijing. —Chris Morris, Fortune Asia, 5 Nov. 2024

Fellow ministers should be more than rubber stamps and, for that purpose, need to be tutored in relevant fields of expertise. —Shalom Lipner, Foreign Affairs, 26 Apr. 2018

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