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  • IM
    IM
    noun
  • I'm
    I'm
    contraction of I am.
  • im-
    im-
    variant of in- before b, m, p: imbrute; immigrate; impassion.
  • -im
    -im
    a plural ending occurring in loanwords from Hebrew.
  • im
    im
    abbreviation
    Isle of Man
Synonyms

IM

1 American  
[ahy-em] / ˈaɪˈɛm /

noun

plural

IMs, IM's
  1. instant message.

  2. instant messaging.


verb (used without object)

IM'd, IMed, IM'ing, IMing
  1. instant message.

IM 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. Swimming. individual medley.

  2. Sports. intramural.

  3. Also I.M. Isle of Man.


I'm 3 American  
[ahym] / aɪm /
  1. contraction of I am.


im- 4 American  
  1. variant of in- before b, m, p: imbrute; immigrate; impassion.


im- 5 American  
  1. variant of in- before b, m, p: imbalance; immoral; imperishable.


im- 6 American  
  1. variant of in- before b, m, p: imbed; immure; impose.


-im 7 American  
  1. a plural ending occurring in loanwords from Hebrew.

    cherubim.


IM 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. computing instant messaging

  2. Also: i.m..  intramuscular

  3. chess International Master

"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

I'm 2 British  
/ aɪm /

contraction

  1. I am

"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

im- 3 British  

prefix

  1. a variant of in- 1 in- 2

"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

im 4 British  

abbreviation

  1. Isle of Man

"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

Usage

See contraction.

Etymology

Origin of IM1

First recorded in 1990–95

Origin of -im7

From Hebrew

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.

Operating expenses rose 5.5% from a year earlier to 8.71 billion euros, in part due to restructuring charges related to the the AXA IM integration, BNP Paribas added.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

By watching how spirals move in the IM Lupi disc over time, the team could tell that they were caused by a new planet being born and not a planet growing bigger!

From Space Scoop • Oct. 24, 2025

"I just love racing in these environments and it brings something special out of me. Back-to-back silvers in the 200m IM is pretty cool and what a night it's been."

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2024

Meanwhile, SAIC’s IM Motors has filed an intellectual property application for an in-car plant-care system, which will collect rain from the roof and water generated by the vehicle’s cooling system.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 18, 2024

I saw that Radar was online and was clicking over to talk to him when an IM from him popped up on my screen.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

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