Tamp (verb)

1. Press or pack down (something, especially loose earth or gravel) with a tool or your foot.
2. Fill or pack tight by tapping or pressing.

Origin:

From dutch tampen "to strike, to close", from middle dutch tampen.

Examples:

1. He was tamping down the soil for the garden.
2. The soil was tamped to make it more compact.
3. The ground was tamped down before building the foundation.
4. He was tamping down the tobacco in the pipe.
5. She was tamping down the coffee grounds in the filter.