ram

1
[ ram ]
See synonyms for ram on Thesaurus.com
noun

  1. a male sheep.

  2. Aries, Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Aries.

  1. any of various devices for battering, crushing, driving, or forcing something, especially a battering ram.

  2. (formerly) a heavy beak or spur projecting from the bow of a warship for penetrating the hull of an enemy's ship.

  3. (formerly) a warship so equipped, especially one used primarily for ramming enemy vessels.

  4. the heavy weight that strikes the blow in a pile driver or the like.

  5. a piston, as on a hydraulic press.

  6. a reciprocating part of certain machine tools, as the toolholder of a slotter or shaper.

  7. hydraulic ram.

verb (used with object),rammed, ram·ming.

  1. to drive or force by heavy blows.

  2. to strike with great force; dash violently against: The car went out of control and rammed the truck.

  1. to cram; stuff: They rammed the gag into his mouth.

  2. to push firmly: to ram a bill through the Senate.

  3. to force (a charge) into a firearm, as with a ramrod.

Origin of ram

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun ram, ram(m)e “male sheep, machine for ramming,” Old English ramm, romm; cognate with Dutch, Low German ram, German Ramme; the verb is derivative of the noun

Other words for ram

Other words from ram

  • ramlike, adjective
  • un·rammed, adjective

Other definitions for ram (2 of 5)

ram2
[ ram ]
nounAustralian, Now Rare.

  1. a confidence man's associate who acts as a decoy; confederate; shill.

Origin of ram

2
First recorded in 1940–45; origin obscure; possibly from British criminal argot ramp “swindle”

Other definitions for RAM (3 of 5)

RAM
[ ram ]
noun

  1. random-access memory; computer memory available to the user for creating, loading, or running programs and for the temporary storage and manipulation of data, in which time of access to each item is independent of the storage sequence. As a storage medium, RAM is volatile, so its contents are lost when the power fails or is turned off.

Origin of RAM

3
r(andom)-a(ccess)m(emory)

Words that may be confused with RAM

Other definitions for RAM (4 of 5)

RAM
abbreviation

  1. reverse annuity mortgage.

Other definitions for R.A.M. (5 of 5)

R.A.M.
abbreviation

  1. Royal Academy of Music.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ram in a sentence

  • Then the rest of the party came up, shrieking out, "Oh, didn't he r-a-m-ble!"

    Rough-Hewn | Dorothy Canfield

  • Immediately lusty voices took up a yell ending in a long drawn Ber-t-r-a-m!

British Dictionary definitions for ram (1 of 5)

ram

/ (ræm) /

noun

  1. an uncastrated adult sheep

  2. a piston or moving plate, esp one driven hydraulically or pneumatically

  1. the falling weight of a pile driver or similar device

  2. short for battering ram

  3. Also called: rostrum, beak a pointed projection in the stem of an ancient warship for puncturing the hull of enemy ships

  4. a warship equipped with a ram

  5. slang a sexually active man

verbrams, ramming or rammed

  1. (tr usually foll by into) to force or drive, as by heavy blows: to ram a post into the ground

  2. (of a moving object) to crash with force (against another object) or (of two moving objects) to collide in this way: the ships rammed the enemy

  1. (tr ; often foll by in or down) to stuff or cram (something into a hole, etc)

  2. (tr ; foll by onto, against etc) to thrust violently: he rammed the books onto the desk

  3. (tr) to present (an idea, argument, etc) forcefully or aggressively (esp in the phrase ram (something) down someone's throat)

  4. (tr) to drive (a charge) into a firearm

Origin of ram

1
Old English ramm; related to Old High German ram ram, Old Norse ramr fierce, rimma to fight

Derived forms of ram

  • rammer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for Ram (2 of 5)

Ram

/ (ræm) /

noun

  1. the Ram the constellation Aries, the first sign of the zodiac

British Dictionary definitions for RAM (3 of 5)

RAM1

/ (ræm) /

n acronym forcomputing

  1. random access memory: semiconductor memory in which all storage locations can be rapidly accessed in the same amount of time. It forms the main memory of a computer, used by applications to perform tasks while the device is operating

British Dictionary definitions for RAM (4 of 5)

RAM2
abbreviation for

  1. Royal Academy of Music

British Dictionary definitions for r.a.m. (5 of 5)

r.a.m.
abbreviation for

  1. relative atomic mass

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

Scientific definitions for RAM

RAM

[ răm ]

  1. Short for random access memory. The main memory of a computer, in which data can be stored or retrieved from all locations at the same (usually very high) speed. See also dynamic RAM static RAM.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for RAM

RAM

Acronym for random access memory, which is a type of memory in which a reader can go to a specific item without having to start at the beginning. Random access memories can often be altered once an item is found. (See computer memory and magnetic memory storage; compare ROM.)

Notes for RAM

hard drives on a computer are an example of RAM.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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