a cut of meat from the heavy-muscled part of a hog's rear quarter, between hip and hock, usually cured.
that part of a hog's hind leg.
the part of the leg back of the knee.
Often hams. the back of the thigh, or the thigh and the buttock together.
an actor or performer who overacts.
an operator of an amateur radio station.
informal theatre
an actor who overacts or relies on stock gestures or mannerisms
overacting or clumsy acting
( as modifier )
a ham actor
informal
a licensed amateur radio operator
( as modifier )
a ham licence
the part of the hindquarters of a pig or similar animal between the hock and the hip
the meat of this part, esp when salted or smoked
informal
the back of the leg above the knee
the space or area behind the knee
needlework a cushion used for moulding curves
What else does ham mean? To go ham is to put in an extraordinary, even aggressive, amount of effort. If you went crazy eating ham, you'd be going ham on some ham. In this sense, ham may stand for hard as a motherf****r.
The “curse of Ham” refers to the biblical story in which Ham, seeing his father drunk and naked, refused to turn away as his two brothers did. When Noah awoke, he cursed Ham and his son Canaan, supposedly causing a darker pigmentation in their descendants. This so-called curse has often been wrongly used to justify racism.
Egypt (see also Egypt) was traditionally called “the Land of Ham,” and Ham was considered to be the ancestor of the Egyptians and of all African peoples south of Egypt.
before 1000; Middle English hamme, Old English hamm bend of the knee; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German hamme, Old High German hamma; akin to Old Norse hǫm buttock; perhaps akin to Greek knḗmē shin, Old Irish cnáim bone
First recorded in 1880–85; short for hamfatter, after The Hamfat Man, a Black minstrel song celebrating an awkward man
From its use in digital communications
Ham is a type of pork, or meat that comes from a pig. If you order a ham sandwich at a deli, you'll get a pile of thinly-sliced meat between two slices of bread. Most ham is preserved in some way, either smoked or salted, and traditionally this meat comes from a hog's hind legs. For many people who celebrate Easter, ham is a typical main dish. Ham, defined in the 1630s as "meat from the hind leg of a pig," comes from the Old English hamm, "hollow or bend of the knee." If you're a performer described as a ham, it means your acting is way too theatrical or exaggerated.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Skip processed meats such as bacon, ham, or sausages.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026
The return of nostalgic favorites, like campfire meals and ham dinners, are helping to woo back guests, too, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Other pizzas that piqued my interest include a half-white-and-half-red sauce pizza topped with candied bacon, ham, sweet onions, fennel and basil, and a blue cheese-focused pizza topped with pears, rosemary, shallots and onions.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
And obviously you have throughout history those characters who know how to add to that, who can ham it up in such a way.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
But best of all, down in the cellar Mutti discovered a whole ham.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Like Tottenham, Everton and West Ham have also moved to new stadiums - which while financially attractive in the long-term, hasn't always gone down well with fans.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Gold and Kretinsky agreed a memorandum of understanding in June when West Ham was plunged into turmoil over allegations surrounding former co-chairman David Sullivan, which he denies.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Celtic have rejected a West Ham approach for Arne Engels while Everton are keen on Alistair Johnston, manager Martin O'Neill has confirmed.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The midfielder attempted to re-ignite his career but endured unsuccessful spells at West Ham and Ipswich over the next two seasons.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
No one had a more attentive audience than old Ham Gamgee, commonly known as the Gaffer.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
The HAM index correctly predicted whether individuals could walk outside for 10 minutes without stopping with accuracy of about 68%.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2024
“If you say anything bad about Long Beach in front of me I’ll go HAM, even if it’s true. I haven’t felt that energy in other parts of L.A.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2022
If they wanna go HAM on the gifts, might as well try to make something useful come out if it!
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2019
Jim Sellars worked more than three decades for a telephone company, served as a reserve police officer and had a lifelong passion for weather and HAM radios.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2018
He wore bright blue orthopedic sandals, a faded Bob Marley T-shirt, and a white baseball hat that said, HAM, BACON, SAUSAGE.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
ChatGPT said she’d need to make two turkeys, two hams and six pies to feed all those guests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025
For example, the beautiful local cheese, or country hams, as well as oysters and other amazing products.
From Salon ● Jul. 16, 2024
There is a pleasing calm to her delivery that stands out in a scene of fidgety hams.
From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
It said appetite for traditional Christmas dinner items was particularly strong in 2023, with volumes of parsnips, sprouts and potatoes up, along with festive meats including pigs in blankets, sausages, hams and turkeys.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2024
The men shift hams, nervous for the first time, Laura notes gleefully.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Now their AI capability, however obscure, is hammed up.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2024
We don’t know if Nguyễn Phú Trọng, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, was briefed on the age discussion in advance, but he really hammed it up for the press.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2023
“He landed funny on his knee and hammed his hip, and we were really worried about it,” Carroll said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2023
The event felt like a Cold War proxy battle, Green said, but instead of getting angry, he hammed it up for the audience and coaxed laughs out of crowds.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2022
Slopper hammed it up a bit, trying to mimic and trying to pretend that wasn’t the case.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Drummer Joel Amey punctures the pomposity during The Sofa - hamming up his accent as he sings about feeling "stuck in Seven Sisters, Norf Lahn-dan".
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Was he hamming it up for the cameras?
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2024
During the six-week campaign, both Hipkins and Luxon have been hamming it up for the cameras, from scooping out ice cream to making pizzas.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023
More than that, he seems to relish it, hamming it up as the babies reach out to touch him.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2023
“And the ladies,” I say, hamming it up even more.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
