ramp, v. i. [F. ramper to creep, OF., to climb; of German origin; cf. G. raffen to snatch, LG. & D. rapen. See Rap to snatch, and cf. Romp.].

To spring; to leap; to bound; to rear; to prance; to become rampant; hence, to frolic; to romp. [1913 Webster]
To move by leaps, or as by leaps; hence, to move swiftly or with violence. [1913 Webster]
"Their bridles they would champ,
And trampling the fine element would fiercely ramp." [1913 Webster]
To climb, as a plant; to creep up. [1913 Webster]
"With claspers and tendrils, they [plants] catch hold, . . . and so ramping upon trees, they mount up to a great height." [1913 Webster]

ramp, n.

A leap; a spring; a hostile advance. [1913 Webster]
"The bold Ascalonite
Fled from his lion ramp." [1913 Webster]
A highwayman; a robber. [1913 Webster]
A romping woman; a prostitute. Lyly. [1913 Webster]
Any sloping member, other than a purely constructional one, such as a continuous parapet to a staircase. [1913 Webster]
An inclined plane serving as a communication between different interior levels. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

ramp, n. & v.
--n.
1 a slope or inclined plane, esp. for joining two levels of ground, floor, etc.
2 movable stairs for entering or leaving an aircraft.
3 an upward bend in a stair-rail.
4 Brit. a transverse ridge in a road to control the speed of vehicles.
--v.
1 tr. furnish or build with a ramp.
2 intr. a assume or be in a threatening posture. b (often foll. by about) storm, rage, rush. c Heraldry be rampant.
3 intr. Archit. (of a wall) ascend or descend to a different level.

ramp, n. & v. Brit. sl.
--n. a swindle or racket, esp. one conducted by the levying of exorbitant prices.
--v.
1 intr. engage in a ramp.
2 tr. subject (a person etc.) to a ramp.

Etymology

16th c.: orig. unkn.

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THESAURUS

ramp

acclivity, arise, ascent, assault, attack, back stairs, ballot-box stuffing, bank, barbarize, batter, be angry, be excitable, beat, beguile of, bellow, bevel, bezel, bilk, blow a gasket, blow up, bob, bounce, bristle, brutalize, bunco, burn, butcher, caper, capriole, caracole, cardsharping, carry on, catch fire, catch the infection, cavort, cheat, cheating, chisel, chouse, chouse out of, chute, clamber, clamber up, climb, climb over, climb up, cock up, cog, cog the dice, come apart, companion, companionway, con, cozen, cozenage, crib, curvet, cut a dido, cut capers, declivity, defraud, descent, destroy, diddle, diddling, dip, dishonesty, do in, do out of, dodge, easy slope, escalade, escalier, euchre, excite easily, explode, finagle, fire escape, fire up, fishy transaction, flam, flame up, flare up, flash up, fleam, fleece, flight of steps, flimflam, flip, flounce, fob, fraud, fraudulence, fraudulency, frisk, fudge, gambado, gambol, gentle slope, gerrymandering, get excited, get up, glacis, go into hysterics, go on, gouge, grade, gradient, graft, grift, gull, gyp, gyp joint, hammer, hanging gardens, have, have a tantrum, helicline, hocus, hocus-pocus, illicit business, imposition, imposture, inclination, incline, inclined plane, jump about, jump up, landing, landing stage, launching ramp, lay waste, loot, maul, mount, mug, mulct, pack the deal, perron, pigeon, pillage, pitch, practice fraud upon, prance, racket, rage, rampage, rant, rant and rave, rape, rave, rear, rear up, riot, rise, rise up, roar, romp, rook, ruin, run a temperature, sack, savage, scale, scale the heights, scam, scarp, scrabble up, scramble up, screw, seethe, sell gold bricks, shave, shelving beach, shin, shin up, shinny, shortchange, side, sit bolt upright, sit up, skip, slaughter, slope, smolder, sow chaos, spiral staircase, stack the cards, staircase, stairs, stairway, stand up, steep slope, stepping-stones, steps, stick, stick up, stiff climb, stile, sting, storm, struggle up, surmount, swindle, take a dive, take fire, talus, tear, tear around, terrorize, thimblerig, throw a fight, treads and risers, trip, turn a hair, upclimb, upheave, uprear, uprise, vandalize, victimize, violate, wreck

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ROGET THESAURUS

ramp

Ascent

VB ascend, rise, mount, arise, uprise, go up, get up, work one's way up, start up, shoot up, go into orbit, float up, bubble up, aspire, climb, clamber, ramp, scramble, escalade, surmount, shin, shinny, shinney, scale, scale the heights, raise, elevate, go aloft, fly aloft, tower, soar, take off, spring up, pop up, jump up, catapult upwards, explode upwards, hover, spire, plane, swim, float, surge, leap.

Leap

VB leap, jump up, jump over the moon, hop, spring, bound, vault, ramp, cut capers, trip, skip, dance, caper, buck, buck jump, curvet, caracole, foot it, bob, bounce, flounce, start, frisk, jump about, trip it on the light fantastic toe, trip the light fantastic, dance oneself off one's legs, dance off one's shoes.