WordGarden.iotamper
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /tˈæmpə/
US
- /ˈtæmpər/
Meanings
Verb
to interfere with something secretly or improperly so as to alter it, damage it, or make it less trustworthy
Noun
a tool used to pack down coffee, tobacco, soil, or other material tightly
Beyond the definition
To tamper with something means to change it, touch it, or interfere with it without permission, especially in a way that may cause trouble. Picture someone secretly changing the settings on a machine or messing with a lock so it no longer works as it should. The word often suggests sneaky behavior and possible harm. You would not tamper with evidence, safety equipment, or another person's things.
Imagine a detective finding signs that someone tampered with a door lock. The person did not simply use it; they interfered with it. Or think of an athlete accused of tampering with equipment to get an unfair advantage. In many situations, tampering means breaking rules or even the law.
To tamper means to interfere with something by changing it, touching it, or trying to affect how it works, usually without permission. The action is often deliberate, and it usually suggests that the person should not be doing it. Sometimes the goal is to damage something, but not always. In other cases, the goal is to secretly alter it, hide the truth, or gain some advantage. For example, if someone has tampered with a car's brakes, the idea is that the brakes were interfered with in a dangerous way.
The word usually carries a negative feeling. If a person tampers with evidence, a machine, a lock, a package, or a computer system, we normally assume there was something secretive, dishonest, or unsafe about the act. That is why the word often appears in legal, police, safety, and technical contexts. You may hear about tampering with evidence, tampering with a witness, tampering with a product, or tampering with official records.
At the same time, the word is also used in everyday warnings. A person might say, "Don't tamper with the controls," "Who tampered with my phone?" or "The seal looked like someone had tampered with it." In all of these examples, the central idea is the same: someone interfered with something they were not supposed to interfere with.
So whether the subject is a serious crime or a simple warning, to tamper is to interfere with something in an unauthorized way, often with the risk of harm, damage, or deception.
Examples
- 1
Lock damage
Someone had tampered with the lock before we arrived.
- 2
Legal evidence
Police warned everyone not to tamper with the evidence.
- Domaintamper with evidence
secretly change, hide, or move evidence in a legal case
- 3
Workplace safety
Never tamper with the machine's safety guard just to make the job faster.
- 4
Digital security
She suspected that her email account had been tampered with while she was away.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Product safety
The medicine is sealed so customers can tell if the bottle has been tampered with.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- tamperverbnoun
Forms
- tampering-ing formverbnoun
- tamperedpast tenseverbnoun
- tampersverbnoun