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Synonyms

gammon

1 American  
[gam-uhn] / ˈgæm ən /

noun

  1. the game of backgammon.

  2. a victory in which the winner throws off all their pieces before the opponent throws off any.

verb (used with object)

  1. to win a gammon over.

gammon 2 American  
[gam-uhn] / ˈgæm ən /

noun

  1. a smoked or cured ham.

  2. the lower end of a side of bacon.

gammon 3 American  
[gam-uhn] / ˈgæm ən /

noun

  1. deceitful nonsense; bosh.

verb (used without object)

  1. to talk gammon.

  2. to make pretense.

verb (used with object)

  1. to humbug.

gammon 1 British  
/ ˈɡæmən /

noun

  1. a double victory in backgammon in which one player throws off all his pieces before his opponent throws any

  2. archaic the game of backgammon

"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 score a gammon over

"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
gammon 2 British  
/ ˈɡæmən /

noun

  1. a cured or smoked ham

  2. the hindquarter of a side of bacon, cooked either whole or cut into large rashers

"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
gammon 3 British  
/ ˈɡæmən /

noun

  1. deceitful nonsense; humbug

"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. to deceive (a person)

"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
gammon 4 British  
/ ˈɡæmən /

verb

  1. (tr) nautical to fix (a bowsprit) to the stemhead of a vessel

"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

Other Word Forms

  • gammoner noun

Etymology

Origin of gammon1

First recorded in 1690–1700; perhaps special use of Middle English gamen game 1

Origin of gammon2

First recorded in 1480–90; from Old French gambon “ham” ( French jambon ), derivative of gambe; see jamb 1

Origin of gammon3

First recorded in 1710–20; perhaps special use of gammon 1

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.

Pulled pork has also substituted an oven-ready gammon joint.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2025

Until recently, Laira Green Primary School in Plymouth served local Cornish beef for its roast dinners every Thursday, but has now switched to gammon as a cheaper alternative.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2022

Her ham in cola is a treasure of a dish that calls for boiling a gammon in two liters of Coca-Cola, with an onion chucked in for mellow savoriness.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2021

“I’m in two minds about the gammon thing,” Davis says now.

From The Guardian • Dec. 25, 2019

Maxine, Dean, and I put the Ladybird books away till the smell of gammon and mushrooms filled the small kitchen.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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.