cram
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to fill (something) by force with more than it can easily hold.
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to force or stuff (usually followed by into, down, etc.).
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to fill with or as with an excessive amount of food; overfeed.
- Synonyms:
- glut
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Informal.
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to prepare (a person), as for an exam, by having them memorize information within a short period of time.
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to acquire knowledge of (a subject) by so preparing oneself.
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Archaic. to tell lies to.
verb (used without object)
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to eat greedily or to excess.
- Synonyms:
- gorge
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to study for an examination by memorizing facts at the last minute.
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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
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Informal. the act of preparing for an exam by memorizing information within a short time period.
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an excessively full state.
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a dense crowd; throng.
noun
verb
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(tr) to force (people, material, etc) into (a room, container, etc) with more than it can hold; stuff
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to eat or cause to eat more than necessary
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informal to study or cause to study (facts, etc), esp for an examination, by hastily memorizing
noun
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the act or condition of cramming
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a crush
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He is among the 400,000 people expected to cram the causeways, beaches and motel balconies of Florida's Space Coast for the launch attempt of Artemis II tonight.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Retailers are joining the race to cram artificial intelligence absolutely anywhere.
From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026
On top of that, there has been a less sharp—but steady—increase in demand for all other applications, as device makers cram in ever more memory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
The computing power of chips has increased dramatically over the decades as makers cram them with more microscopic electronic components.
From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025
Once in a while when I got too far off the beaten path, he would come around and cram a bar of soap in my pocket.
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.
