ram
nounverbadjectivenouncommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ɹæm//
- United Kingdom//ɹam//
- Canada//ɹæm//
- Scotland//ɾam//
- /[ɹæm]/
A male sheep, typically uncastrated.
noun
- 1
A male sheep, typically uncastrated.
- 2
A battering ram; a heavy object used for breaking through doors.
The solid oak door—he fingered it again—was as though made to resist a ram, the walls built to withstand a siege, and every stone and brick in wall, bench, or floor was as immovable as the face of a rock.
- 3
historicalA warship intended to sink other ships by ramming them.
About a couple of miles out lay an ironclad very low in the water, almost, to my brother's perception, like a water-logged ship. This was the ram Thunder Child.
- 4
historicalA reinforced section of the bow of a warship, intended to be used for ramming other ships.
- 5
A piston powered by hydraulic pressure.
- 6
An act of ramming.
- 7
A weight which strikes a blow, in a ramming device such as a pile driver, steam hammer, or stamp mill.
Etymology
From Middle English ram, rom, ramme, from Old English ramm (“ram”), from Proto-Germanic *rammaz (“ram”), possibly from *rammaz (“strong”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Rom (“ram”), Dutch ram (“a male sheep”), German Ramm, Ramme (“ram”). Possibly akin also to Danish ram (“sharp; acrid; rank”), Swedish ram (“strong; perfect”), Faroese ramur (“strong; competent”), Icelandic rammur (“strong; sturdy”).
verb
- 1
To collide with (an object), usually with the intention of damaging it or disabling its function.
The man, driving an SUV, then rammed the gate, according to police.
A large stone rammed her head
Two snatch thieves who snatched a woman's bag experienced swift karma when their victim accidentally rammed into their motorcycle.
The other ships, either not caring or too badly-damaged to do anything about it, proceed on their mission, with König the last to fall silent, shot to pieces in a last attempt to ram the Bellerophon.
- 2
To strike (something) hard, especially with an implement.
To build a sturdy fence, you have to ram the posts deep into the ground.
- 3
To seat a cartridge, projectile, or propellant charge in the breech of a firearm by pushing or striking.
After placing the cartridge in the musket, ram it down securely with the ramrod.
- 4
figurativeTo force, cram or thrust (someone or something) into or through something.
I quickly rammed another charge down the barrel and took aim.
Again: great to take lessons in ethics from a guy currently trying to ram through a policy of freighting refugees off to cuddly Rwandan president Paul Kagame.
- 5
To fill or compact by pounding or driving.
They rammed the earth walls to make them more compact
- 6
slangTo thrust during sexual intercourse.
1999, Mr.Web, Size Matters review by mr. web review Group: rec.arts.movies.erotica like feel a soft butt against their pelvis or ram a girl really hard with piston-like speed while she begs and screams for more
Etymology
From Middle English rammen, from the noun (see above). Compare Old High German rammen.
adjective
- 1
Rancid; offensive in smell or taste.
Etymology
Likely from Old Norse ramr, rammr (“strong, rank, bitter”), from Proto-Germanic *rammaz (“strong, overbearing; acrid, rank”), perhaps ultimately related to Etymology 1 above. Compare Scots ram (“a rank odour”). Compare also Middle English rammish (“rank, offensive in smell”).
noun
- 1
Variant of ramboslangAlternative form of rambo.
Forms
- plural
- rams
- comparative
- more ram
- superlative
- most ram
- past tense
- rammed
- past participle
- rammed
- present participle
- ramming
- third person singular
- rams
ram · A male sheep, typically uncastrated.
Ram · The constellation and zodiac sign Aries.Rama · A name of the goddess Lakshmi.rambling · Of a speech: meandering, long and digressing.