am

[ am; unstressed uh m, m ]

/ æm; unstressed əm, m /

verb

1st person singular present indicative of be.

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Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

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Origin of am

before 900; Middle English; Old English am, eam, eom; cognate with Gothic im, Old Norse, Armenian em, Old Irish am, Greek eimí, Hittite, early Lithuanian esmi, OCS yesmĭ, Albanian jam, Sanskrit asmi < Indo-European *Hes- be + *-m 1st person singular + *-i now; cf. is

Words nearby am

alymphocytosis, alymphoplasia, alyson, alyssum, alzheimer's disease, am, am-dram, am., am/fm, ama, amab

Definition for am (2 of 9)

Symbol, Chemistry.

americium.

Definition for am (3 of 9)

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

Definition for am (4 of 9)

[ bee; unstressed bee, bi ]

/ bi; unstressed bi, bɪ /

verb (used without object), present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

to exist or live: Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question.

to take place; happen; occur: The wedding was last week.

to occupy a place or position: The book is on the table.

to continue or remain as before: Let things be.

to belong; attend; befall: May good fortune be with you.

(used as a copula to connect the subject with its predicate adjective, or predicate nominative, in order to describe, identify, or amplify the subject): Martha is tall. John is president. This is she.

(used as a copula to introduce or form interrogative or imperative sentences): Is that right? Be quiet! Don't be facetious.

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

(used with the present participle of another verb to form the progressive tense): I am waiting.

(used with the present participle or infinitive of the principal verb to indicate future action): She is visiting there next week. He is to see me today.

(used with the past participle of another verb to form the passive voice): The date was fixed. It must be done.

(used in archaic or literary constructions with some intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense): He is come. Agamemnon to the wars is gone.

Origin of be

before 900; Middle English been, Old English bēon (bēo- (akin to Old Frisian, Old High German bim, German bin, Old Saxon bium, biom (I) am, Old English, Old High German, Old Saxon būan, Old Norse būa reside, Latin fuī (I) have been, Greek phy- grow, become, Old Irish boí (he) was, Sanskrit bhávati (he) becomes, is, Lithuanian búti to be, OCS byti, Persian būd was)) + -n infinitive suffix. See am, is, are¹, was, were

usage note for be

See me.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH be

be bee

Definition for am (5 of 9)

A and M

or A&M

Agricultural and Mechanical (college): Texas A and M.

Definition for am (6 of 9)

Am.

America.

American.

Definition for am (7 of 9)

A/m

ampere per meter.

Definition for am (8 of 9)

a.m.

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.

Compare p.m.

Origin of a.m.

From the Latin word ante merīdiem

usage note for a.m.

The abbreviation a.m. for Latin ante meridiem, 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.

Definition for am (9 of 9)

A.M.

a.m.

Master of Arts.

Origin of A.M.

From the Latin word Artium Magister

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for am (1 of 13)

am¹

verb (æm, unstressed əm)

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

Word Origin for 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 13)

am²

abbreviation for

See AM (def. 5)

See a.m.

British Dictionary definitions for am (3 of 13)

am³

the internet domain name for

Armenia

British Dictionary definitions for am (4 of 13)

the chemical symbol for

americium

British Dictionary definitions for am (5 of 13)

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 am (6 of 13)

Am.

abbreviation for

America(n)

British Dictionary definitions for am (7 of 13)

A/M

abbreviation for (in Canada)

Air Marshal

British Dictionary definitions for am (8 of 13)

the chemical symbol for

beryllium

British Dictionary definitions for am (9 of 13)

abbreviation for

bill of exchange

(in the US) Board of Education

Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Engineering

British Dictionary definitions for am (10 of 13)

Bé

abbreviation for

Baumé

British Dictionary definitions for am (11 of 13)

a.m.

A.M., am or AM

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

ante meridiemCompare p.m.

Word Origin for a.m.

Latin: before noon

British Dictionary definitions for am (12 of 13)

be¹

/ (biː, unstressed bɪ) /

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

to have presence in the realm of perceived reality; exist; liveI think, therefore I am; not all that is can be understood

(used in the perfect or past perfect tenses only) to pay a visit; gohave you been to Spain?

to take place; occurmy birthday was last Thursday

(copula) used as a linking verb between the subject of a sentence and its noun or adjective complement or complementing phrase. In this case be expresses the relationship of either essential or incidental equivalence or identity (John is a man; John is a musician) or specifies an essential or incidental attribute (honey is sweet; Susan is angry). It is also used with an adverbial complement to indicate a relationship of location in space or time (Bill is at the office; the dance is on Saturday)

(takes a present participle) forms the progressive present tensethe man is running

(takes a past participle) forms the passive voice of all transitive verbs and (archaically) certain intransitive onesa good film is being shown on television tonight; I am done

(takes an infinitive) expresses intention, expectation, supposition, or obligationthe president is to arrive at 9.30; you are not to leave before I say so

(takes a past participle) forms the perfect or past perfect tense of certain intransitive verbs of motion, such as go or comethe last train is gone

be that as it may the facts concerning (something) are of no importance

Word Origin for be

Old English bēon; related to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, Greek phuein to bring forth, Sanskrit bhavati he is

British Dictionary definitions for am (13 of 13)

be²

the internet domain name for

Belgium

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

Medical definitions for am (1 of 2)

The symbol for the elementamericium

Medical definitions for am (2 of 2)

The symbol for the elementberyllium

Scientific definitions for am (1 of 3)

The symbol for americium.

Scientific definitions for am (2 of 3)

Abbreviation of amplitude modulation

Scientific definitions for am (3 of 3)

The symbol for beryllium.

Idioms and Phrases with am

In addition to the idioms beginning with be

be a credit to
be along
be big on
be bound to
be busted
bed and board
bed and breakfast
bed of roses
be down
bee in one's bonnet
been around
been had
been there, done that
been to the wars
beginning of the end, the
begin to see daylight
begin to see the light
begin with
beg off
beg the question
beg to differ
be had
be in on
be into
bell the cat, who will
be my guest
bend one's elbow
bend over backwards
bend someone's ear
be off
be on
be oneself
be on to
beside oneself
beside the point
be that as it may
be the death of
be the end of one
be the making of

also see:

let be

am

verb

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Origin of am

Words nearby am

Definition for am (2 of 9)

Symbol, Chemistry.

Definition for am (3 of 9)

Origin of AM

Definition for am (4 of 9)

Origin of be

usage note for be

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH be

Definition for am (5 of 9)

or A&M

Definition for am (6 of 9)

Definition for am (7 of 9)

Definition for am (8 of 9)

Origin of a.m.

usage note for a.m.

Definition for am (9 of 9)

Origin of A.M.

Words related to am

British Dictionary definitions for am (1 of 13)

verb (æm, unstressed əm)

Word Origin for am

British Dictionary definitions for am (2 of 13)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (3 of 13)

the internet domain name for

British Dictionary definitions for am (4 of 13)

the chemical symbol for

British Dictionary definitions for am (5 of 13)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (6 of 13)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (7 of 13)

abbreviation for (in Canada)

British Dictionary definitions for am (8 of 13)

the chemical symbol for

British Dictionary definitions for am (9 of 13)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (10 of 13)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (11 of 13)

A.M., am or AM

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

Word Origin for a.m.

British Dictionary definitions for am (12 of 13)

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

Word Origin for be

British Dictionary definitions for am (13 of 13)

the internet domain name for

Medical definitions for am (1 of 2)

Medical definitions for am (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for am (1 of 3)

Scientific definitions for am (2 of 3)

Scientific definitions for am (3 of 3)

Idioms and Phrases with am