ream

¹ American  

[reem] / rim /

noun

reams plural

1. a standard quantity of paper, consisting of 20 quires or 500 sheets (formerly 480 sheets), or 516 sheets printer's ream, or perfect ream.

2. Usually reams. a large quantity.

   He has written reams of poetry.

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ream ² American  

[reem] / rim /

verb (used with object)

reams, present (3rd person singular) reamed, past participle, past reaming present participle

1. to enlarge to desired size (a previously bored hole) by means of a reamer.

2. to clear with a reamer; remove or press out by reaming.

3. to extract the juice from.

   to ream an orange.

4. Slang.

   1. to scold or reprimand severely (usually followed byout ).

   2. to cheat; defraud.

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ream ¹ British  

/ riːm /

noun

1. a number of sheets of paper, formerly 480 sheets ( short ream ), now 500 sheets ( long ream ) or 516 sheets ( printer's ream or perfect ream ). One ream is equal to 20 quires

2. informal (often plural) a large quantity, esp of written matter

   he wrote reams

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ream ² British  

/ riːm /

verb

1. to enlarge (a hole) by use of a reamer

2. to extract (juice) from (a citrus fruit) using a reamer

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reams
  plural

Participles

• reaming
  present
• reamed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• ream
  simple
• reams
  simple
• have reamed
  perfect
• has reamed
  perfect
• am reaming
  progressive
• are reaming
  progressive
• is reaming
  progressive
• have been reaming
  perfect progressive
• has been reaming
  perfect progressive

Past

• reamed
  simple
• had reamed
  perfect
• was reaming
  progressive
• were reaming
  progressive
• had been reaming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will ream
  simple
• will have reamed
  perfect
• will be reaming
  progressive
• will have been reaming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of ream¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rem(e), from Middle French reime, rame, from Spanish rezma, from Arabic rizmah “bale”

Origin of ream²

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

Explanation

A ream is a quantity of paper sold in a bundle, once comprised of 480 sheets but now rounded up to 500. If you write reams of love letters to your beloved, I hope she appreciates them. Or at least recycles. The word ream has two distinct meanings, depending on whether you use it as a noun or a verb. As a noun, it refers to an amount of paper, its origin from the Arabic rizmah, or "bundle." As a verb, ream is a rough word that can mean "to make a hole in" or "to squeeze." When you "ream someone out" you give them a scolding.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ream reams reamed reaming

When L.A. finally does get to the point of construction, a new ream of issues related to labor and supplies will likely crop up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2025

But the best way to go into moving any money is to learn as much as you can about how any changes will affect your situation before you sign a ream of papers.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2024

"I shouldn't need to be looking in September at what supermarket chain has the cheapest ream of paper so I can ask parents to buy a ream per child."

From BBC ● May 24, 2023

In 1948, Cleary moved into a new house and discovered a ream of typing paper in the linen closet.

From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2021

A ream of garbled code appears in my view.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Ali and his team have been analyzing the behavior of individual investors by collecting and processing reams of trading data, he told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

Artificial intelligence chatbots and image generators crunch reams of digital data, but building systems to navigate real-life environments is more challenging.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

Those ideas were made manifest in lavish PR material conjuring up fantastical landscapes that attracted reams of coverage that mingled awe and derision.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

There, Sam unleashes reams upon reams of pent-up monologuing about their past while a teary Mary fills in a few gaps.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

Dora was Drogo’s sister and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

And he just reamed him in front of the whole court in front of everyone and fired him, which was very nice of the judge.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2022

Another that was reamed by critics and shocked fans when it was nominated for Golden Globes, "Emily in Paris" follows a young American woman who moves to France's capital to chase her dreams.

From Fox News ● Sep. 16, 2021

Drenched in dread, Wyeth’s story is told mainly by an anonymous narrator via 84 flashback scenes reamed with abrupt, enigmatic silences.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 6, 2019

Bharara: I got reamed out a few times, unfairly, every time of course.

From MSNBC ● Jun. 11, 2019

When I got there, my mom and brother were standing by the chairs that bad kids sit in while they’re waiting to get reamed out by the principal.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

The reaming he got from coach John Calipari when the team watched video in the Hall of Famer’s basement the next day.

From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2022

“But he is the exact opposite of that. When Susie is reaming him out he is so happy, it makes him joyful.”

From The Guardian ● Oct. 1, 2017

But notice how Jeanie smiles sadistically while listening to Rooney reaming out Ferris on the back steps.

From Washington Times ● May 22, 2016

As for your young marrieds, don’t compound their rudeness with your own by reaming them out.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2014

Citra cleared her throat, biting back the verbal reaming she wanted to give him, and did her best to remain professional.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• batch
• bundle
• scad
• stack
• ton