lam
verb (used with object)
to beat; thrash.
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lam
1 American
[lam]
/ læm /
verb (used with object)
lammed,
lamming
verb (used without object)
lammed,
lamming
lam
2
American
[lam]
/ læm /
noun
verb (used without object)
lammed,
lamming
idioms
-
on the lam, escaping, fleeing, or hiding, especially from the police.
He's been on the lam ever since he escaped from jail.
-
take it on the lam, to flee or escape in great haste.
The swindler took it on the lam and was never seen again.
lām
3
American
[lahm]
/ lɑm /
noun
Lam
4
American
[lahm, lam]
/ lɑm, læm /
noun
lam.
5
American
abbreviation
Lam.
6
American
abbreviation
Bible.
lam
1
British
/ læm /
noun
-
a sudden flight or escape, esp to avoid arrest
-
-
making an escape
-
in hiding
-
verb
lam
2
British
/ læm /
verb
-
(tr) to thrash or beat
-
(intr; usually foll by into or out) to make a sweeping stroke or blow
Lam.
3
British
abbreviation
lam
More Idioms
Etymology
Origin of lam1
1590–1600; < Old Norse lamdi, past tense of lemja to beat; akin to lame 1
Origin of lam2
1885–90; special use of lam 1. Compare beat it! be off!
Origin of lām3
From Arabic; see origin at lambda
Explanation
The verb lam has two meanings: to hit or to run away. If you see a bully making little kids cry, you may be tempted to lam him in the nose and then lam before he can retaliate. The British slang meaning of lam, "hit or beat," is the oldest one, dating from the 16th century. It stems from an Old Norse root that means "to beat" or "to make lame." The newer, North American definition, "escape," can also be used as a noun: "After he stole his cousin's car he went on the lam." Experts trace this meaning back to slang used by pickpockets.
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.
See Examples For:
Mr. Surkov was last reported to be on the lam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
On the lam in Texas: Gracie the giraffe.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Or, in this case, that Manchester — on the lam after escaping prison — ends up falling in love with Leigh and being embraced by her family and community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025
They went on the lam to Chicago, Florida, and Arizona, and points in between.
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2024
There's much to be done to get three children ready for a wagon ride. lam lingering over a second cup of coffee while Perilee and Karl shepherd their flock.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Conservative shadow housing secretary Katie Lam said it was a "noble aim" to protect UK democracy from foreign influence but changes proposed by the government had not always been produced with "proper care and attention".
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Who is To Lam, the ex-cop who wants to revamp Vietnam's success story?
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
If Hawaii’s dreams could be pinned on a single person, it might be Trung Lam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
“We do not expect a bazooka-style package,” Kelvin Lam, an economist at research firm Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in a note Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
“Not just land but the Lam Sing Refugee Camp,” the captain says confidently.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
And concerning that which is supernal it is written, Lam. ii.
From Hebrew Literature by Epiphanius Wilson
Ostrea edulis, Triton cutaceum, Lam., and Buccinum serratum, Brocchi, the beds varying in thickness from one to eighteen inches 10 0 4.
From Principles of Geology or, The Modern Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as Illustrative of Geology by Sir Charles Lyell
Others say that His name will be Comforter, Son of the strength of God, as is declared in Lam. i.
From Christology of the Old Testament: And a Commentary on the Messianic Predictions. Vol. 2 by Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg
At the bottom of these sands a green clay occurs, containing a small oyster, Ostrea cyathula, Lam., which, although of slight thickness, is spread over a wide area.
From The Student's Elements of Geology by Sir Charles Lyell
A. umbellata, Lam., is common all up and down our coast, often making masses of deep pink on the beach; while A. maritima, Nutt., is found from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Mary Elizabeth Parsons
Last week he lammed out for good, dying at 86 on his upstate New York farm.
From Time Magazine Archive
But before a damage suit could be prosecuted, the spiritual leader of 20 million Ismali Moslems lammed out of town.
From Time Magazine Archive
The diversion which enthralls him most is golf, and once golf awarded him its most coveted prize: four months ago he lammed out a hole in one.
From Time Magazine Archive
Elia Kazan was casting Inge's new Broadway production, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, and when Tuesday Weld suddenly lammed for Hollywood, Sandy became understudy for two roles.
From Time Magazine Archive
Like kingpins, one steel tier lammed into another, then they all crashed to the floor with a sound as of the roof falling.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Shinners, scalpers, and tweaks are good too—jolly good!… but of course all this comes after lamming and tunding….
From Snake and Sword A Novel by Percival Christopher Wren
Look at the old crook now, still lamming that axe round to beat the cars because he thinks he's being watched!
From Somewhere in Red Gap by Harry Leon Wilson
I don’t blame you, now, for lamming me over the ear like you done.
From The Mesa Trail by H. Bedford-Jones
You had to keep lamming and maybe you never got a chance to enjoy it.
From Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942 by Various
I thinks that lamming is about due now.
From Danny's Own Story by Don Marquis
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.
