lam

¹ American  

[lam] / læm /

verb (used with object)

lammed, lamming

1. to beat; thrash.

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verb (used without object)

lammed, lamming

1. to beat; strike; thrash (usually followed by out orinto ).

lam ² American  

[lam] / læm /

noun

1. a hasty escape; flight.

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verb (used without object)

lammed, lamming

1. to run away quickly; escape; flee.

   I'm going to lam out of here as soon as I've finished.

idioms

1. on the lam, escaping, fleeing, or hiding, especially from the police.

   He's been on the lam ever since he escaped from jail.

2. 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

1. the 23rd letter of the Arabic alphabet.

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Lam ⁴ American  

[lahm, lam] / lɑm, læm /

noun

1. Wifredo or Wilfredo 1902–82, Cuban painter in Europe.

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lam. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. laminated.

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Lam. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

Bible.

1. Lamentations.

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lam ¹ British  

/ læm /

noun

1. a sudden flight or escape, esp to avoid arrest

2. 1. making an escape

   2. in hiding

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verb

1. (intr) to escape or flee

lam ² British  

/ læm /

verb

1. (tr) to thrash or beat

2. (intr; usually foll by into or out) to make a sweeping stroke or blow

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Lam. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Lamentations

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lam More Idioms  

1. see on the lam.

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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; 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

Before long, Frank and the Bride are on the road and on the lam, invigorating the nation in their path.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

Monkeys on the lam in St. Louis and AI isn’t helping.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 15, 2026

Robert Redford became a bankable leading man in 1969, when “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” about a pair of outlaws on the lam, turned him into a paragon of the movie star.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

They went on the lam to Chicago, Florida, and Arizona, and points in between.

From Slate • Dec. 18, 2024

You think that lam stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer