cram

[ kram ]

/ kræm /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for cram on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), crammed, cram·ming.

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

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

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

Informal.

to prepare (a person), as for an examination, by having him or her memorize information within a short period of time.
to acquire knowledge of (a subject) by so preparing oneself.

Archaic. to tell lies to.

verb (used without object), crammed, cram·ming.

to eat greedily or to excess.

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

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

Informal. the act of cramming for an examination.

a crammed state.

a dense crowd; throng.

OTHER WORDS FOR cram

1 crowd, pac, squeeze, compress, overcrowd.

3 glut.

6 gorge.

See synonyms for cram on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of cram

before 1000; Middle English crammen,Old English crammian to stuff, akin to crimman to put in

OTHER WORDS FROM cram

cram·ming·ly, adverbwell-crammed, adjective

Other definitions for cram (2 of 2)

Cram

[ kram ]

/ kræm /

noun

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use cram in a sentence

A frustrated and untalented artist, Bary crams way too many words in a single sentence for a single line.
An ISIS Killer in His Own Awful Words|Miranda Frum|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sutherland cuts and crams facts and opinions into his tight confines.
John Sutherland‘s Enjoyable Little History of Literature|Malcolm Forbes|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He crams this part and starves that other part, consulting not the fitness of the thing, but his fitness and strength.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume XIII|John Lord
We now do every thing so much by rule, that the rule crams the soul out of every thing done.
Aims and Aids for Girls and Young Women|George Sumner Weaver

When he is batting he crams one hand into his pocket between each delivery.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 159, July 14th, 1920|Various
As often as not texts are like bags, and a man crams all his own rubbish into them, and expects you to take them together.
Red Pottage|Mary Cholmondeley
If he has any money given him, he spends it all at once, and crams and eats till he can scarcely move.
The Bad Family and Other Stories|Mrs. Fenwick

British Dictionary definitions for cram (1 of 2)

cram

/ (kræm) /

verb crams, cramming or crammed

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

to eat or cause to eat more than necessary

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

noun

the act or condition of cramming

a crush

Word Origin for cram

Old English crammian; related to Old Norse kremja to press

British Dictionary definitions for cram (2 of 2)

Cram

/ (kræm) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cram

OTHER WORDS FOR cram

Origin of cram

OTHER WORDS FROM cram

Other definitions for cram (2 of 2)

Words related to cram

How to use cram in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cram (1 of 2)

Word Origin for cram

British Dictionary definitions for cram (2 of 2)