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Synonyms

lam

1 American  
[lam] / læm /

verb (used with object)

lammed, lamming

  1. to beat; thrash.

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.

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.

Lam 4 American  
[lahm, lam] / lɑm, læm /

noun

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

lam. 5 American  

abbreviation

  1. laminated.

Lam. 6 American  

abbreviation

Bible.

  1. Lamentations.

lam 1 British  
/ læm /

noun

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

    1. making an escape

    2. in hiding

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to escape or flee

"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
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

"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
Lam. 3 British  

abbreviation

  1. Lamentations

"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
lam More Idioms  

  1. see on the lam.

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

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.

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

From MarketWatch • Jan. 15, 2026

As a child, Caleb resisted being taken into Federation custody, instead going on the lam.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

The suspected leaker is believed to be a Chinese national who has moved back to China and is now on the lam, South Korean officials say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

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

From Slate • Dec. 18, 2024

Luke had never thought about this until just now, and it made him laugh, a little too loudly, seeing as he was officially on the lam.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

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.