Stampede Someone Into Doing vs. Stampede Someone To Do
Cambridge directly documents transitive stampede someone/something into doing something for forcing an action and separately documents intransitive stampede to do something when people act in large numbers. The intransitive “investors stampeded to sell” pattern does not license a transitive object + to-infinitive pattern such as “stampede someone to do.”
Use “stampede someone into doing something” for the documented transitive forcing pattern; reserve “stampede to do something” for the separate intransitive pattern without an object.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Structure / meaning | Pattern | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| force or pressure a person/group into an action | stampede + object + into + -ing | Use the documented transitive pattern. |
| people move or act in large numbers toward an action, with no object after “stampede” | stampede + to-infinitive | Use the separate intransitive pattern where appropriate. |
| object followed directly by to-infinitive | stampede + object + to do | Do not infer this from the intransitive construction. |
Quick tests
Object-pattern test
Is there a person or group immediately after “stampede” who is being forced into the action?
If yes: Use “stampede + object + into + -ing.”
If no: A separate intransitive “stampede to do” pattern can describe people acting in large numbers.
Caveat: The intransitive to-infinitive pattern does not license a transitive object + to-infinitive pattern.
Examples
The sudden rumor stampeded traders into selling.
The object “traders” is followed by “into” plus an -ing form in the forcing construction.
Shoppers stampeded to reach the doors when they opened.
With no object after “stampeded,” the sentence uses the separate intransitive to-infinitive pattern.
When an object is present in the forcing sense, use into doing rather than treating object + to do as the parallel pattern.
The two documented constructions have different argument structures.
Further guidance
Boundary
The intransitive “investors stampeded to sell” pattern does not license a transitive object + to-infinitive pattern such as “stampede someone to do.”
Construction
Cambridge directly documents transitive stampede someone/something into doing something for forcing an action and separately documents intransitive stampede to do something when people act in large numbers.
Decision
Use “stampede someone into doing something” for the documented transitive forcing pattern; reserve “stampede to do something” for the separate intransitive pattern without an object.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- stampede — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Direct evidence distinguishing transitive stampede someone into doing from intransitive stampede to do