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• ram
  ram

  noun

  a male sheep.
• RAM
  RAM

  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.
• R.A.M.
  R.A.M.

  abbreviation

  Royal Academy of Music.
• r.a.m.
  r.a.m.

  abbreviation

  relative atomic mass
• Ram
  Ram

  noun

  the constellation Aries, the first sign of the zodiac

ram

¹ American  

[ram] / ræm /

noun

1. a male sheep.

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

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

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

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

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

7. a piston, as on a hydraulic press.

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

9. hydraulic ram.

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verb (used with object)

• rams,
  present (3rd person singular)
• rammed,
  past participle,  past
• ramming
  present participle

1. to drive or force by heavy blows.

   Synonyms:

   hammer, beat, thrust, jam

2. to strike with great force; dash violently against.

   The car went out of control and rammed the truck.

3. to cram; stuff.

   They rammed the gag into his mouth.

4. to push firmly.

   to ram a bill through the Senate.

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

ram ² American  

[ram] / ræm /

noun

Australian, Now Rare.

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

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RAM ³ American  

[ram] / ræm /

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.

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RAM ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. reverse annuity mortgage.

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R.A.M. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Royal Academy of Music.

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r.a.m. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. relative atomic mass

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Ram ² British  

/ ræm /

noun

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

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RAM ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Royal Academy of Music

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RAM ⁴ British  

/ ræm /

acronym

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

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ram ⁵ British  

/ ræm /

noun

1. an uncastrated adult sheep

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

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

4. short for battering ram

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

6. a warship equipped with a ram

7. slang a sexually active man

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verb

1. 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

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

4. (tr; foll by onto, against etc) to thrust violently

   he rammed the books onto the desk

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

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

RAM Scientific  

/ 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.

2. See also dynamic RAM static RAM

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RAM Cultural  

1. Acronym for r andom a ccess m emory, 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.)

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Discover More

hard drives on a computer are an example of RAM.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rammer
  noun
• ramlike
  adjective
• unrammed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• ramming
  present
• rammed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• ram
  simple
• rams
  simple
• have rammed
  perfect
• has rammed
  perfect
• am ramming
  progressive
• are ramming
  progressive
• is ramming
  progressive
• have been ramming
  perfect progressive
• has been ramming
  perfect progressive

Past

• rammed
  simple
• had rammed
  perfect
• was ramming
  progressive
• were ramming
  progressive
• had been ramming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will ram
  simple
• will have rammed
  perfect
• will be ramming
  progressive
• will have been ramming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of ram¹

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

Origin of ram²

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

Origin of RAM³

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

Explanation

A male sheep or goat is called a ram. If you're a fan of reading your horoscope, you might notice that Aries, usually considered the first sign of the zodiac, is represented by a ram. Another kind of ram is a "battering ram," a tool for forcing a heavy door open or breaking a hole in a wall. This kind of ram comes from the male sheep and his powerful horns — and so does the verb ram: "I watched the rams ram their heads into each other as they battled over territory." Some word experts think the word stems from the Old Norse rammr, "strong."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ram RAM R.A.M. Ram rams rammed ramming

Beginning with tobacco, they refitted the dusty doctrine as a battering ram and swung it at guns, lead paint, opioids and oil companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

Lyndon Dykes is a battering ram, but Gabriel and Marquinhos have seen his sort before in their storied careers.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Astronomers have already found evidence that ram pressure stripping is affecting M88 today.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

Internet access took a battering ram to information’s door, sending dizzying amounts of data our way overnight.

From Salon ● May 30, 2026

She was the wicked stepmother of Phrixus, the boy who was saved from death by the ram of the Golden Fleece.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

In Tokyo's tech hub of Akihabara, Charles Brousse, a 30-year-old graphic designer and custom PC builder from Belgium, said prices for RAM, graphics cards and motherboards have hit "ridiculous levels".

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

“That’s why we don’t have RAM anymore?” one user commented.

From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026

Security is anchored in a proprietary protocol and server technology that runs entirely in RAM to ensure all data is wiped upon reboot.

From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2026

The MacBook Neo, with 8GB of RAM, slows with more than 50 open browser tabs but can handle basic 4K video editing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

Halliday’s first computer had been a TRS-80, with a whopping 16K of RAM.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

He had been working on a paper about R.A.M., the genetic marker that Andrew had.

From New York Times ● May 12, 2016

Anti-gas research was at first centred in the R.A.M.

From The Riddle of the Rhine; chemical strategy in peace and war by Victor Lefebure

We admire the enthusiasm of Mr. Ricketts for Velasquez, and his analysis is second to none save R.A.M.

From Promenades of an Impressionist by James Huneker

Written and composed by James C. Beazley, R.A.M.—There is no such title as R.A.M.

From The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 355, October 16, 1886 by Charles Peters

Henley was right in declaring that until R.A.M.

From Promenades of an Impressionist by James Huneker

So he waited until Ram brought back the older, less efficient engine this year—and paid a $1,200 premium for it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Sebastian Achim was part of a crew tagging sharks for research off Ram Head, Ardmore, when the incident happened on Tuesday.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

A TV commercial featured two guys in a beat-up muscle car ogling a Ram truck at a stoplight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Ram would still offer the smaller, more modern six-cylinder Hurricane engines, but for a premium, would sell trucks with the old-school Hemi V-8.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Mr. Ram points a trembling finger at the bookcases.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

That also explains why, and how, his devoted rams, lambs and ewes are able to dedicate themselves to solving his murder.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

"We don't have the means to pay for her studies," she explained from their home's back courtyard, where young children capered about and two rams watched from an enclosure.

From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026

At the opposite extreme is Scotland's Soay sheep, with just 0.6% full siblings because each ewe mates with multiple rams.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 22, 2026

Few artists can draw from both worlds, but they collided in her debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?—pillow-soft vocals and blown-out drums, singer-songwriter lullabies and sonic battering rams.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025

He gets out and rams the door shut.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

Just after her car had been repaired, it was rammed again in the middle of the night, and had to be written off.

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026

In Knueppel’s first season in the league, Brust rammed him with a shoulder, to see how he’d react.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

Murillo claimed he was rammed; prosecutors said the collision happened at less than 10 miles per hour and was “more of a jolt.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026

The only visible law enforcement presence is a police car rammed across the driveway, signaling the limits of encroachment, like an invisible wall in a video game.

From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026

I could tell she just got back from the beauty parlor because her hair was frizzed like she had just rammed her fingers into an electric socket.

From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel

It followed the same sequence of holding, releasing, ramming, and feeding.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

Excitement meanwhile grew in Seoul, with hotels long since booked out and thousands flying in from overseas, ramming home the immense popularity of a multi-award-winning act singing mostly in Korean.

From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026

Initially the ramming was reported as an "active shooter incident".

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026

Last year, Essayli and Tricia McLaughlin, the chief Homeland Security spokesperson, accused Carlitos Ricardo Parias of ramming immigration agents with his vehicle in South L.A., causing an agent to open fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2026

“Go on now!” he hollers at them, but the alligators keep ramming.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• cram
• crash
• run into
• sink
• slam
• smash
• stab
• thrust