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• lam
  lam

  verb (used with object)

  to beat; thrash.
• lām
  lām

  noun

  the 23rd letter of the Arabic alphabet.
• Lam
  Lam

  noun

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

  abbreviation

  laminated.
• Lam.
  Lam.

  abbreviation

  Lamentations.

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; 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

Applied Materials rose 6% to $526.56; KLA jumped 7.5% to $2,295; and Lam Research was up 7% to $344.32.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

In Canton, painters like Lam Qua headed ateliers devoted to Export art, adapting styles from expatriate artists such as George Chinnery to gain foreign clientele.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Megan Lam is a rising senior at UC Berkeley, where they study integrative biology, rhetoric and journalism.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

Another technology angle we like is picks and shovels—semiconductor equipment companies KLA and Lam Research.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Meng says there are approximately three or four thousand refugees in Lam Sing, so our wait will not be too long.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung