perm

[ purm ]

/ pɜrm /

Informal.

Save This Word!

See synonyms for perm on Thesaurus.com

noun

permanent (def. 4).

verb (used with object)

to give (the hair) a permanent.

verb (used without object)

to apply a permanent to the hair.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of perm

First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening

Words nearby perm

perlite, Perlman, perlocution, perlocutionary, perlucidus, perm, perma-, permaculture, permadeath, permafrost, permafrost table

Other definitions for perm (2 of 2)

Perm

[ purm, pairm; Russian pyerm ]

/ pɜrm, pɛərm; Russian pyɛrm /

noun

a city in the E Russian Federation in Europe, on the Kama River.

Formerly Molotov.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use perm in a sentence

One of the documentary’s more innocuous revelations is that Ross’s signature curls, a not-quite-afro, were achieved with a perm.
4 things we learned from the Bob Ross documentary, including his hair secrets and an alleged affair|Bethonie Butler|August 27, 2021|Washington Post
A car mechanic who goes by the name “Big Perm” said he noticed a change in the neighborhood.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Big Perm worries that the lack of policing the “small fry” will lead to more crimes by “big fry.”
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Seeking a long-term (perm) 24/7 slave, for absolute ownership/slavery,” his profile on Collarpsace.com read.
How ‘MrHandcuffs’ Ended Up With Two Corpses in Suitcases|Michael Daly|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

My sisters opened a beauty parlor in their bedroom, curling hair with crisscrossed bobby pins and calling it a perm.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’|Eileen Cronin|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was wearing a perm, so I just had to go to the back of my neck and I had a fist full of sweat.
‘No No,’ a Documentary on MLB Pitcher Dock Ellis, Who Pitched a No-Hitter While Tripping on Acid|Marlow Stern|February 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There, to his great annoyance, he found that no boat started for Perm till the following day at twelve o'clock.
Michael Strogoff|Jules Verne
He went to the office of the company whose boats plied between Nijni-Novgorod and Perm.
Michael Strogoff|Jules Verne
At Perm travelers from Siberia resell their vehicles, more or less damaged by the long journey across the plains.
Michael Strogoff|Jules Verne
The hood was pulled up, as it was insupport-ably hot, and at twelve o'clock the tarantass left Perm in a cloud of dust.
Michael Strogoff|Jules Verne
Long trains laden with freight from Perm, blocked the way and delayed us.
Overland through Asia; Pictures of Siberian, Chinese, and Tartar Life|Thomas Wallace Knox

British Dictionary definitions for perm (1 of 3)

perm¹

/ (pɜːm) /

noun

a hairstyle produced by treatment with heat, chemicals, etc which gives long-lasting waves, curls, or other shapingAlso called (esp formerly): permanent wave

the act of giving or receiving such a hairstyle

verb

(tr) to give a perm to (hair)

British Dictionary definitions for perm (2 of 3)

perm²

/ (pɜːm) /

noun

short for permutation (def. 4)

British Dictionary definitions for perm (3 of 3)

Perm

/ (Russian pjermj) /

noun

a port in W Russia, on the Kama River: oil refinery; university (1916). Pop: 984 000 (2005 est)Former name (1940–62): Molotov

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

perm

Origin of perm

Words nearby perm

Other definitions for perm (2 of 2)

Words related to perm

How to use perm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for perm (1 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for perm (2 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for perm (3 of 3)