cram

¹

[kram]

verb (used with object)

crammed, cramming 

1. to fill (something) by force with more than it can easily hold.

   Synonyms: overcrowd, compress, squeeze, pack, crowd

2. to force or stuff (usually followed by into, down, etc.).

3. to fill with or as with an excessive amount of food; overfeed.

   Synonyms: glut

4. Informal.

   1. to prepare (a person), as for an exam, by having them memorize information within a short period of time.

   2. to acquire knowledge of (a subject) by so preparing oneself.

5. Archaic.,  to tell lies to.

verb (used without object)

crammed, cramming 

1. to eat greedily or to excess.

   Synonyms: gorge

2. to study for an examination by memorizing facts at the last minute.

3. to press or force accommodation in a room, vehicle, etc., beyond normal or comfortable capacity; crowd; jam.

   The whole team crammed into the bus.

noun

1. Informal.,  the act of preparing for an exam by memorizing information within a short time period.

2. an excessively full state.

3. a dense crowd; throng.

Cram

²

[kram]

noun

1. Ralph Adams, 1863–1942, U.S. architect and writer.

cram

¹

/ kræm /

verb

1. (tr) to force (people, material, etc) into (a room, container, etc) with more than it can hold; stuff

2. to eat or cause to eat more than necessary

3. informal,  to study or cause to study (facts, etc), esp for an examination, by hastily memorizing

noun

1. the act or condition of cramming

2. a crush

Cram

²

/ kræm /

noun

1. Steve. born 1960, English middle-distance runner: European 1500 m champion (1981, 1986); world 1500 m champion (1983)

Other Word Forms

• crammingly adverb
• well-crammed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cram¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English crammen, Old English crammian “to stuff,” akin to crimman “to put in”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cram¹

Old English crammian; related to Old Norse kremja to press

Example Sentences

The biggest hill in New York is the first mile up the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge; the rest are crammed into the second half of the course.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The men dropped their respective hauls at a Maryland lot crammed with cars whose owners couldn’t—or didn’t—make their payments.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Hundreds of thousands of Jews were crammed into the ghetto, where they faced poverty, starvation, disease and cold.

Read more on BBC

On a rainy June morning, Jeju Island's main harbour was crammed with fishing boats.

Read more on BBC

An AFP journalist on Wednesday saw more than 1,000 people travelling away from the site on foot, by motorbike and crammed into pickup trucks.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• crowd 
• load 
• overcrowd 
• pack 
• ram 
• shove 
• squeeze 
• stuff 
• wedge