Bachelor of Applied Mathematics.
Bachelor of Arts in Music.
Imitative
A bam is a loud, startling sound. You might say that your brother tends to shove the front door open with a bam that makes you jump. While a bam is a noise like a "bang," you can also use the word as an exclamation or interjection, to emphasize how loud or shocking something is. You might say, for example, "I was pulling out of my driveway, and then, bam, the truck hit me!" The word's origin is imitative — in other words, it sounds like a hit or slam. The first recorded use of bam, in 1917, imitated the sound of a military shell exploding.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"There was just a little bit of heat, then bam, they bombed again, and now nothing works," Yeromina sighed.
From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026
Consequently, the dance style developed swift, sharp and forceful movements - much like how action heroes in comic books beat up their villains, accompanied by sound-effects like "ka-pow" and "bam".
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2024
“We’re on the right path, doing the right things, wanting to get good legislation passed and he’s helping them do that. And then, bam, it blows up.”
From Seattle Times • Oct. 10, 2023
“Then my hat was flying in the air and bam, 12 and a half feet down.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2023
All of the men had stayed out at the bam.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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.
