cram

[ kram ]
See synonyms for cram on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),crammed, cram·ming.
  1. to fill (something) by force with more than it can easily hold.

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

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

  2. Informal.

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

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

  3. Archaic. to tell lies to.

verb (used without object),crammed, cram·ming.
  1. to eat greedily or to excess.

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

  1. 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.

  1. a dense crowd; throng.

Origin of cram

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English crammen, Old English crammian “to stuff,” akin to crimman “to put in”

Other words for cram

Other words from cram

  • cram·ming·ly, adverb
  • well-crammed, adjective

Other definitions for Cram (2 of 2)

Cram
[ kram ]

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cram in a sentence

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for cram (1 of 2)

cram

/ (kræm) /


verbcrams, cramming or crammed
  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

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

noun
  1. the act or condition of cramming

  2. a crush

Origin of cram

1
Old English crammian; related to Old Norse kremja to press

British Dictionary definitions for Cram (2 of 2)

Cram

/ (kræm) /


noun
  1. 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