tom
1 Americannoun
-
the male of various animals, as the turkey.
-
a tomcat.
abbreviation
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tom
First recorded in 1755–65; generic use of the male given name Tom
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It also shines in fish stews and soups of all kinds, from cacciucco to tom kha gai to cioppino or caldeirada.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2025
The current menu at Secret Congee contains eight kinds made with high-quality ingredients, including the tom yum shrimp, traditional-but-better chicken, slow-cooked brisket with kimchi, and Hokkaido scallops with fried garlic.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
On party nights, the eight friends arrive early to enjoy an off-menu vegan tom kha soup prepared by Jamie, with plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
Tiravanija’s early relational pieces — offering curry and tom ka soup, sodas and beers, grass mats and pillows for weary visitors — appeared as museums increasingly promoted the politics of multiculturalism.
From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2023
By the next morning, Mr. Vendleri had tom down almost all of the pictures.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
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Chief Executive Tom O’Leary said in an interview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The latest installment of the Marvel’s arachnid superhero saga sees Tom Holland return as the central character alongside Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Mark Ruffalo, Jacob Batalon and Jon Bernthal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway lead the cast as Odysseus and Penelope, with Tom Holland portraying their son Telemachus.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Tom Holland is officially the first “Hot Ones” guest to really spill his guts during a spicy interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Tseh-a-take, or Tom Benton, S’klallam subchief, his x mark. Yah-kwi-e-nook, or General Gaines, S’klallam subchief, his x mark. Kai-at-lah, or General Lane Jr., S’klallam subchief, his x mark.”
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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The ideal situation, therefore, would be to relish and use both our full ToM as well as our ability to deny reality, allowing us optimism.
From Salon ● May 25, 2013
But is it possible to hold a full ToM along with a complete recognition of reality?
From Salon ● May 25, 2013
He had to just play kick and snare and toms because if you hit the cymbals they’d reverberate for 20 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2025
"The big impact is on breeding, especially for toms," Dr. Alan Krakauer, a biologist at the University of California – Davis, told Salon by email.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2022
Frozen inventories of whole toms, which generally weigh 16-24 pounds at the store, were down 17%.
From Reuters ● Nov. 16, 2022
He powers the cinematic instrumental “Space Chase” with a flurry of toms.
From New York Times ● Oct. 6, 2019
As I gradually got louder, I started flicking little quick shots at the high toms.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.