Nam

¹ American

[nahm, nam] / nɑm, næm /

Or 'Nam

noun

Informal.

Vietnam.

Nam ² American

[nahm] / nɑm /

noun

a former name of Chao Phraya.

NAM ³ American

Or N.A.M.

abbreviation

National Association of Manufacturers.

Nam ¹ British

/ næm /

noun

informal Vietnam

"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

NAM ² British

abbreviation

Namibia (international car registration)

"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

Etymology

Origin of Nam

First recorded in 1965–70; by shortening

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.

Orla had been travelling around South East Asia before starting a degree at Durham University, Viet Nam News said.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Nam said there were a few times he secretly delivered packets of miso soup to Kish during filming.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

“A few IT workers can easily fund a missile,” said Nam, head of a Seoul-based North Korean human-rights group called People for Successful Corean Reunification, or PSCORE.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

"Even without much initial interest, once you hear that everyone else is eating it, you start wondering just how good it must be," Nam Su-yeon, a 28-year-old office worker, told AFP.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

Maybe he would answer my letters from Nam.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023