cram

¹ American  

[kram] / kræm /

verb (used with object)

crammed, cramming

1. to fill (something) by force with more than it can easily hold.

   Synonyms:

   overcrowd, compress, squeeze, pack, crowd

2. to force or stuff (usually followed by into, down, etc.).

3. to fill with or as with an excessive amount of food; overfeed.

   Synonyms:

   glut

4. Informal.

   1. to prepare (a person), as for an exam, by having them memorize information within a short period of time.

   2. to acquire knowledge of (a subject) by so preparing oneself.

5. Archaic. to tell lies to.

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verb (used without object)

crammed, cramming

1. to eat greedily or to excess.

   Synonyms:

   gorge

2. to study for an examination by memorizing facts at the last minute.

3. to press or force accommodation in a room, vehicle, etc., beyond normal or comfortable capacity; crowd; jam.

   The whole team crammed into the bus.

noun

1. Informal. the act of preparing for an exam by memorizing information within a short time period.

2. an excessively full state.

3. a dense crowd; throng.

Cram ² American  

[kram] / kræm /

noun

1. Ralph Adams, 1863–1942, U.S. architect and writer.

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cram ¹ British  

/ kræm /

verb

1. (tr) to force (people, material, etc) into (a room, container, etc) with more than it can hold; stuff

2. to eat or cause to eat more than necessary

3. informal to study or cause to study (facts, etc), esp for an examination, by hastily memorizing

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noun

1. the act or condition of cramming

2. a crush

Cram ² British  

/ kræm /

noun

1. Steve. born 1960, English middle-distance runner: European 1500 m champion (1981, 1986); world 1500 m champion (1983)

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Other Word Forms

• crammingly adverb
• well-crammed adjective

Etymology

Origin of cram

First recorded before 1000; Middle English crammen, Old English crammian “to stuff,” akin to crimman “to put in”

Example Sentences

At least a dozen of the Fox family’s neighbors remained crammed in the house, asking questions and receiving rapped answers.

From Literature

I folded the money and crammed it down in my pocket.

From Literature

Many remain crammed in temporary shelters or a cluster of tents, with little expectation of returning to their mud-caked homes any time soon.

From Barron's

Including servants, 23 people were crammed into a chaotic rectory where no one kept regular hours and money was always short.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fixed costs like rent and utilities don’t change, so boosting traffic during slow hours is far more profitable than cramming more customers into already-busy shifts.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crowd
• load
• overcrowd
• pack
• ram
• shove
• squeeze
• stuff
• wedge