To press something down by hitting it lightly. For example, when making coffee, you tamp the coffee grounds down in the filter.
Tamping something can make people think of making things neat and strong.
Examples:
He tamped the dirt down with his foot.
I tamped the snow to make a path.
She tamped the sand to make a flat surface.
The cat tamped the blanket to make a bed.
He tamped the button so hard, it broke!
I tamped the ground and made it very hard.