ram

[ ram ]

/ ræm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ram ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a male sheep.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Aries.

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

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

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

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

a piston, as on a hydraulic press.

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

hydraulic ram.

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

to drive or force by heavy blows.

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

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

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

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

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?

Question 1 of 10

earnest

full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.

a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ram

before 900; Middle English: male sheep, machine for ramming, Old English ram(m); cognate with Dutch, Low German ram, German Ramme; (v.) Middle English rammen, derivative of the noun; compare Old High German rammen

SYNONYMS FOR ram

10 jam, thrust, beat, hammer.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ram ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM ram

ram·like, adjectiveun·rammed, adjective

Words nearby ram

rallying, rallyist, rallymaster, ralph, ralph roister doister, ram, ram down someone's throat, ram raid, ram singh, ram's-head lady's-slipper, ram-air turbine

Definition for ram (2 of 5)

ram²

[ ram ]

/ ræm /

Australian.

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

Origin of ram

1940–45; origin obscure; British criminal argot ramp swindle (earlier, as v.: snatch, tear) is a phonetically implausible source

Definition for ram (3 of 5)

RAM

[ ram ]

/ ræm /

noun

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.

Compare ROM.

Origin of RAM

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH RAM

RAM ROM

Definition for ram (4 of 5)

RAM

reverse annuity mortgage.

Definition for ram (5 of 5)

R.A.M.

Royal Academy of Music.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ram

Where and when and why did Russ meet Ram Dass, for goodness sakes?
The Great Russ Hemenway|Michael Tomasky|March 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then the ram is caught by its horns in the bush and is sacrificed instead.
The American Prophet of Delusion: Robert Stone in Conversation|David Samuels|November 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They wanted to ram that fact down the throat of would-be rivals, like the Russians, and even longtime friends, like the French.
How to Stop Iran: Obama's War By Other Means|Christopher Dickey|September 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sales of the Ram Truck line were up 29 percent year over year, whiles sales of the Dodge Durango SUV were up 117 percent.
U.S. Car Sales Roar in August|William O’Connor|September 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Encouraged by this success, Audi, Grand Cherokee and Ram all have plans to launch diesel vehicles going forward.
July was the Greenest Month Ever for U.S. Car Sales|Anna Batchelor|August 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Each man took an equal share, but they gave me the ram which had saved my life.
Odysseus, the Hero of Ithaca|Homer
The ram settled back slightly, till the rope was almost taut.
The Watchers of the Trails|Charles G. D. Roberts
Just as the effort seemed more than she could keep up, Ram moved away from her bed.
Bengal Dacoits and Tigers|Maharanee Sunity Devee
Besides the loss of the smoke-stack and steering-gear, the injuries to the casemate of the ram were very severe.
The Gulf and Inland Waters|A. T. Mahan
I would to God there could be a Jehovah-jireh, 'a ram caught in the thicket,' to prevent the sacrifice of that people.
Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 4 (of 10)|John Gibson Lockhart.

British Dictionary definitions for ram (1 of 5)

ram

/ (ræm) /

noun

an uncastrated adult sheep

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

the falling weight of a pile driver or similar device

short for battering ram

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

a warship equipped with a ram

slang a sexually active man

verb rams, ramming or rammed

(tr usually foll by into) to force or drive, as by heavy blowsto ram a post into the ground

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

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

(tr ; foll by onto, against etc) to thrust violentlyhe rammed the books onto the desk

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

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

Derived forms of ram

rammer, noun

Word Origin for ram

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

British Dictionary definitions for ram (2 of 5)

Ram

/ (ræm) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for ram (3 of 5)

RAM¹

/ (ræm) /

n acronym for computing

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

Royal Academy of Music

British Dictionary definitions for ram (5 of 5)

r.a.m.

abbreviation for

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 ]

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.

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.

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ram

noun

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

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

Origin of ram

SYNONYMS FOR ram

OTHER WORDS FROM ram

Words nearby ram