Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for lam on Thesaurus.com verb (used with object), lammed, lam·ming. to beat; thrash. Show More
verb (used without object), lammed, lam·ming. to beat; strike; thrash (usually followed by out or into ). Show More
Origin of lam 1 1590–1600; <
Old Norse lamdi, past tense of
lemja to beat; akin to
lame1 verb (used without object), lammed, lam·ming. to run away quickly; escape; flee: I'm going to lam out of here as soon as I've finished. Show More
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. Show More
Origin of lam 2 1885–90; special use of
lam1 . Compare
beat it! be off!
the 23rd letter of the Arabic alphabet. Show More
Origin of lām From
Arabic; see origin at
lambda Wi·fre·do [wi-frey -doh] /wɪˈfreɪ doʊ/ or Wil·fre·do[wil-frey -doh] /wɪlˈfreɪ doʊ/ 1902–82, Cuban painter in Europe. Show More
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for lam emerge ,
depart ,
skip ,
duck ,
elude ,
slip ,
pass ,
vanish ,
circumvent ,
disappear ,
blow ,
avoid ,
dodge ,
run ,
abscond ,
decamp ,
bolt ,
shun ,
flee ,
desert Examples from the Web for lam Contemporary Examples of lam The first pioneer to reach the riparian tributary where Kansas City now shimmers was, in fact, on the lam himself.
And while Alliegro was on the lam in Central America, Rivera reportedly visited her several times.
Tyrion, now on the lam for patricide by crossbow, is destined for an unknown foreign port like a diminutive Edward Snowden.
“[It] was an unexpected but totally interesting project,” Lam told WWD.
But for the globally notorious on the lam , it is shaping up to be an attractive getaway.
Historical Examples of lam Mrs. McKee drew a long breath and entered the lam stew in a book.
I've got Jeems Henery to stop gamblin',” he whispered, “an' I didn't have to lam ' him.
A trader, coming into this camp, represented that lam Khn had let Sl.
A genus formed for the reception of Isocardia semi-sulcata, Lam .
A family of the first section of the order Trachelipoda, Lam .
British Dictionary definitions for lam verb lams , lamming or lammed slang (tr) to thrash or beat (intr; usually foll by into or out) to make a sweeping stroke or blow Show More
Word Origin for lam C16: from Scandinavian; related to Old Norse lemja
a sudden flight or escape, esp to avoid arrest on the lam making an escape in hiding Show More
verb lams , lamming or lammed (intr) to escape or flee Show More
Word Origin for lam C19: perhaps from lam 1 (hence, to be off)
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
Word Origin and History for lam n. "flight," as in on the lam, 1897, from a U.S. slang verb meaning "to run off" (1886), of uncertain origin, perhaps somehow from the first element of lambaste , which was used in British student slang for "beat" since 1590s; if so, it would give the word the same etymological sense as the slang expression beat it .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with lam The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
