IM

¹ American  

[ahy-em] / ˈaɪˈɛm /

noun

plural

IMs, IM's

1. instant message.

2. instant messaging.

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verb (used without object)

IM'd, IMed, IM'ing, IMing

1. instant message.

im- ² American  

1. variant of in- before b, m, p: imbrute; immigrate; impassion.

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IM ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Swimming. individual medley.

2. Sports. intramural.

3. Also I.M. Isle of Man.

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im- ⁴ American  

1. variant of in- before b, m, p: imbalance; immoral; imperishable.

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im- ⁵ American  

1. variant of in- before b, m, p: imbed; immure; impose.

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I'm ⁶ American  

[ahym] / aɪm /

1. contraction of I am.

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-im ⁷ American  

1. a plural ending occurring in loanwords from Hebrew.

   cherubim.

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IM ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. computing instant messaging

2. Also: i.m..  intramuscular

3. chess International Master

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I'm ² British  

/ aɪm /

contraction

1. I am

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im- ³ British  

prefix

1. a variant of in- 1 in- 2

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im ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. Isle of Man

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Usage

See contraction.

Etymology

Origin of IM¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Origin of -im⁷

From Hebrew

Example Sentences

One woman describes Dunk’s station as “like a knight, but sadder. Gotta sleep in the hedges because no lord will have ‘im.”

From Salon

Marchand, who followed up his electrifying four-gold performance at the Paris Games with a medley double at the World Championships, won the men's 400 IM in 4:13.21 leading all the way to beat American Bobby Finke by 5.14 seconds.

From Barron's

Although students have adjusted well to the rules, some initially feared the school could use Opal to peer into their phone screens, said junior Charlotte Im, another student council member who tested Opal.

From Los Angeles Times

But the 34-year-old singer's agency told South Korean media that Nana - whose real name is Im Jin-ah - and her mother managed to subdue the intruder until police arrived.

From BBC

Nana, whose real name is Im Jin-ah, is a singer-turned-actress with a strong fan base who first rose to prominence as part of Orange Caramel, a sub-unit of the girl group After School.

From Barron's

Related Words

• pulse