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ram

1
[ ram ]
/ ræm /
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noun
verb (used with object), rammed, ram·ming.
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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 FROM ram

ramlike, adjectiveun·rammed, adjective

Other definitions for ram (2 of 5)

ram2
[ ram ]
/ ræm /

noun Australian, Now Rare.
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 ]
/ 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

Other definitions for ram (4 of 5)

RAM

abbreviation

Other definitions for ram (5 of 5)

R.A.M.

abbreviation
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

British Dictionary definitions for ram (1 of 5)

ram
/ (ræm) /

noun
verb rams, ramming or rammed

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.
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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