am

[ am; unstressed uhm, m ]

verb

1st person singular present indicative of be.

Origin of am

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English am, eam, eom; cognate with Gothic im, Old Norse, Armenian em, Old Irish am (from unattested esmi ), Attic Greek eimí, Aeolic Greek émmi, Doric Greek ēmí (all from prehistoric Greek esmi ), Hittite esmi, early Lithuanian esmì, Old Church Slavonic yesmĭ, Albanian jam (from unattested esmi ), Sanskrit ásmi, from unattested Proto-Indo-European ésmi, from root es- “to be” + -m 1st person singular + -i, present-time marker; cf. is

Other definitions for Am (2 of 7)

Symbol, Chemistry.

americium.

Other definitions for AM (3 of 7)

abbreviation

Electronics.amplitude modulation: a method of impressing a signal on a radio carrier wave by varying its amplitude.
Radio. a system of broadcasting by means of amplitude modulation.

of, relating to, or utilizing such a system.: Compare FM
Asian male.

Origin of AM

First recorded in 1935–40

Other definitions for a.m. (4 of 7)

a.m.

abbreviation

before noon.
the period from midnight to noon, especially the period of daylight prior to noon: Shall we meet Saturday a.m.?

a morning newspaper, sometimes issued shortly before midnight.

Origin of a.m.

⁴

From Latin ante merīdiem

usage note For a.m.

The abbreviation a.m. for Latin ante merīdiem, meaning “before noon,” refers to the period from midnight until noon. One minute before noon is 11:59 a.m. One minute after noon is 12:01 p.m. Many people distinguish between noon and midnight by saying 12 noon and 12 midnight. Expressions combining a.m. with morning ( 6 a.m. in the morning ) and p.m. with afternoon, evening, or night ( 9 p.m. at night ) are redundant and occur most often in casual speech and writing. Both a.m. and p.m. sometimes appear in capital letters, especially in printed matter.

Compare p.m.

Other definitions for A/m (5 of 7)

A/m

ampere per meter.

Other definitions for Am. (6 of 7)

Am.

abbreviation

America.
American.

Other definitions for A.M. (7 of 7)

A.M.

abbreviation

a.m.
Master of Arts.

Origin of A.M.

⁷

(def. 2) from Latin Artium Magister

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use am in a sentence

In an ad called “Spelling Bee,” a young child spells “Pryor” as “O-B-A-M-A,” to which the judge says, “Close enough.”
Red State Democrats Ditch Obama | Patricia Murphy | July 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Off the field, the Texas A&M stud was the most hyped college football player since Tim Tebow.
Don’t Cry for Johnny Football. The NFL’s 22nd Pick Will Do Just Fine. | Ben Teitelbaum | May 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Abe Rosenthal—A. M. Rosenthal was his legendary byline—has been gone for only six years, dead at 84.
A.M. Rosenthal, the Man I Remember in May | Pranay Gupte | May 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The death of a Florida A&M band member exposes the secret hazing rituals that can plague historically black colleges.
FAMU ‘Marching 100’ Case Raises Veil on Secret Hazing Rituals | Allison Samuels | May 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
He secured the role of drum major in his high school marching band and got accepted to Florida A&M in 2005.
FAMU ‘Marching 100’ Case Raises Veil on Secret Hazing Rituals | Allison Samuels | May 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

It was exactly two A. M. when he commenced on the Chicago bill.
The Call of the Beaver Patrol | V. T. Sherman
The wounded, of which there were a number, were now taken to the camp about 11 A. M.
South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend Brady
He rose, summer and winter, at two A. M., and passed an hour and three quarters immersed in ice water.
The Fiend's Delight | Dod Grile
He passed quietly away at half-past three A. M., October 19, 1888, at the age of seventy-two.
Personal Recollections of Pardee Butler | Pardee Butler
The experiment was made on the 26th of April, about eleven oclock A. M. in presence of all the officers.
The Book of Curiosities | I. Platts

British Dictionary definitions for am (1 of 8)

am¹

verb(æm, unstressed əm)

(used with I) a form of the present tense (indicative mood) of be 1

Origin of am

Old English eam; related to Old Norse em, Gothic im, Old High German bim, Latin sum, Greek eimi, Sanskrit asmi

British Dictionary definitions for am (2 of 8)

am²

abbreviation for

See AM (def. 5)
See a.m.

British Dictionary definitions for am (3 of 8)

am³

the internet domain name for

Armenia

British Dictionary definitions for Am (4 of 8)

the chemical symbol for

americium

British Dictionary definitions for AM (5 of 8)

abbreviation for

associate member
Assembly Member (of the National Assembly of Wales)

Albert Medal
US Master of Arts
Also: am amplitude modulation
See a.m.
Member of the Order of Australia
Armenia (international car registration)

British Dictionary definitions for a.m. (6 of 8)

a.m.

abbreviation for(indicating the time period from midnight to midday)

ante meridiem: Compare p.m.

Origin of a.m.

⁶

Latin: before noon

British Dictionary definitions for Am. (7 of 8)

Am.

abbreviation for

America(n)

British Dictionary definitions for A/M (8 of 8)

A/M

abbreviation for(in Canada)

Air Marshal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Am (1 of 2)

Scientific definitions for AM (2 of 2)

Abbreviation of amplitude modulation

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