am
verb
1st person singular present indicative of be.
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am
1 American
[am, uhm, m]
/ æm, əm, m /
verb
Am
2
American
Symbol, Chemistry.
AM
3
American
abbreviation
-
Electronics. amplitude modulation: a method of impressing a signal on a radio carrier wave by varying its amplitude.
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Radio. a system of broadcasting by means of amplitude modulation.
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of, relating to, or utilizing such a system.
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Asian male.
Am.
4
American
abbreviation
-
America.
-
American.
A/m
5
American
a.m.
6
American
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.
A.M.
7
American
Am
1
British
symbol
am
2
British
verb
AM
3
British
abbreviation
-
associate member
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Assembly Member (of the National Assembly of Wales)
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Albert Medal
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Master of Arts
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Also: am. amplitude modulation
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See a.m.
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Member of the Order of Australia
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Armenia (international car registration)
a.m.
4
British
abbreviation
am
5
British
am
6
British
abbreviation
A/M
7
British
abbreviation
Am.
8
British
abbreviation
AM
Scientific
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of am1
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
Origin of AM3
First recorded in 1935–40
Origin of a.m.6
From Latin ante merīdiem
Origin of A.M.7
A.M. ( def. 2 ) from Latin Artium Magister
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“If I am a more laissez-faire, ‘We need more AI accelerationism’ kind of person, I could see expressing a more comfortable view,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
"My God, I am not at peace," she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
"I want to give my son a dignified burial. I am deeply pained."
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Whenever sensory information reaches the brain, the brain faces a basic problem: what am I most likely sensing right now?
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
And even though I am still messing up on the piece I’m practicing, just holding Grace makes me feel better.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Am I gonna pay more or less in taxes?’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
In 1984, a round-trip weekend fare between New York and London on Pan Am cost $669, today’s equivalent of $2,150, according to a Wall Street Journal article from the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
“That’s kind of you to say. Thank you for the I Am Precious smoothie.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Am I wrong to leave his care to the state?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Now, Corporal, you are probably wondering why I attacked you like that. Am I correct?”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Credit rating agencies Fitch, S&P Global and AM Best have all downgraded the outlook for the two insurers, though they still rate them highly financially.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
The messages claimed the "news media" had "confirmed" the death, and were followed by the national anthem and 16 minutes of silence on DAB+, while AM listeners heard back-up music.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Time: Whether earnings are released AM — before the open — or PM — after the close.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
As he makes his way down Massachusetts Route 128, past the Stop & Shops, his AM radio keeps him company and gives him everything he needs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
I immediately turn the radio to AM and set it for no station at all.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
The label ‘Negroes’ was commonplace in America through the 1960s—and as late as the 2010 census, a category of ‘Black, African Am., or Negro’ remained, but the Census Bureau subsequently dropped that label.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
“I. Am. Fuh-reezing. Feel my hand — I’m still cold,” said Ruth Marshall, 64, who was seated on a park bench, face to the sky.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2015
As my colleague Jeff Zeleny explained in January, the word appears as part of one of the racial categories on this year’s census form: “Black, African Am., or Negro.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2010
Their decision to self-identify only as "American" isn't really any different from someone else's decision to self-identify as -- in the antiquated words of the Census form -- "Black, African Am. or Negro."
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2010
“It reminds me, too, of how worthless I was. Am. How I couldn’t protect my work family. Not then. How I can’t protect my family now. Look at this place.”
From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Data on housing starts and import prices are coming at 8:30 a.m., with an industrial-production update at 9:15 a.m. and pending home sales at 10 a.m.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
U.S. economic data due Monday include the Empire State Manufacturing index for August, released at 8:30 a.m.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Situational and Citadel finished signing documents and trade confirmations around 9:10 a.m., leaving only about 20 minutes before U.S. markets opened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Her bar is directly across the street from the field where the data center is supposed to go, and she wants her staff comfortable with 6 a.m. shifts if the construction crews start showing up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
That meant she would have to make the call at one a.m. from the States.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
With advances in technology, insurers have been accelerating investments in telematics, data and artificial intelligence, including to better predict driver risk and set rates, according to insurer ratings agency A.M.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Overall, there are benefits to the use of telematics,” said Chris Draghi, a director at A.M.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Insurance shoppers can also measure an insurer’s financial strength by checking its credit rating through agencies like A.M.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026
Private-equity firms control about 20% of annuity reserves—money held to pay future claims—up from 2% in 2011, according to A.M.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
I basically hung out in my room, listening to tunes and trying to catch some zees after the four A.M. wake-up call.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
