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Synonyms

flam

1 American  
[flam] / flæm /

noun

  1. a deception or trick.

  2. a falsehood; lie.

verb (used with or without object)

flammed, flamming

  1. to deceive; delude; cheat.

flam 2 American  
[flam] / flæm /

noun

  1. a drumbeat consisting of two notes in quick succession, with the accent on the second.

flam 1 British  
/ flæm /

noun

  1. a falsehood, deception, or sham

  2. nonsense; drivel

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to cheat or deceive

"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
flam 2 British  
/ flæm /

noun

  1. a drumbeat in which both sticks strike the head almost simultaneously but are heard to do so separately

"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

Etymology

Origin of flam1

First recorded in 1615–25; short for flimflam ( def. )

Origin of flam2

First recorded in 1790–1800; imitative

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.

During the chat, Grohl approximates that momentous flam fill, palms on thighs, and Williams looks like he just opened the greatest birthday present of his life.

From Washington Post • Jun. 16, 2022

The way I learned, you start with the right foot, marking the beat with a flam, a heel-toe series that merges into a single homemade kick-drum blast.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2022

You won’t give a damn even when they’re lying, You’ll keep buying their eternal flam!

From Washington Post • Jun. 18, 2015

Photograph: Nick Potts/PA Archive/Press Association Ima Imagine, dear tattle connoisseurs, the Mill's guttural grunt of glee when commencing upon this morning's festival of flim flam.

From The Guardian • Apr. 12, 2013

But it don't really remind me of flippity flap flam zingalee zay weee.

From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds

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.