Ram

UK: 'ram', 'RAM': /ˈræm/ US: /ræm/ ,(ram)

Inflections of 'ram' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

rams

v 3rd person singular

ramming

v pres p

rammed

v past

rammed

v past p

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Ram / ræm/ noun

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

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ram¹ /ræm/   n., v., rammed, ram•ming. 
n. [countable]

1. Mammals a male sheep.
2. a device for battering, crushing, driving, or forcing something, such as a battering ram.

v. 

3. to strike with great force;
   dash violently against: [no object]
   The car rammed into the wall.
   [~ + object]
   The driver rammed the car into the wall.
4. to cram;
   stuff:
   [~ + object] to ram food down their throats.
5. to push firmly;
   force:
   [~ + object] to ram a bill through the Senate.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ram¹  (ram), n., v., rammed, ram•ming. 
n. 

1. Mammals a male sheep.
2. Astronomy, Astrology (cap.) the constellation or sign of Aries.
3. any of various devices for battering, crushing, driving, or forcing something, esp. 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, esp. one used primarily for ramming enemy vessels.
6. Mechanical Engineering the heavy weight that strikes the blow in a pile driver or the like.
7. Mechanical Engineering a piston, as on a hydraulic press.
8. a reciprocating part of certain machine tools, as the toolholder of a slotter or shaper.
9. Hydraulics See hydraulic ram. 

v.t. 

10. to drive or force by heavy blows.
11. to strike with great force;
    dash violently against:
    The car went out of control and rammed the truck.
12. to cram;
    stuff:
    They rammed the gag in his mouth.
13. to push firmly:
    to ram a bill through the Senate.
14. to force (a charge) into a firearm, as with a ramrod.

• bef. 900; Middle English: male sheep, machine for ramming, Old English ram(m); cognate with Dutch, Low German ram, German Ramme; (verb, verbal) Middle English rammen, derivative of the noun, nominal; compare Old High German rammen

ram′like′, adj. 
Synonyms

• 10. jam, thrust, beat, hammer.

ram²  (ram), [Australian.]

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

• 1940–45; origin, originally obscure; Brit. criminal argot ramp swindle (earlier, as verb, verbal: snatch, tear) is a phonetically implausible source

RAM  (ram), n. 

1. Computing 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. Cf. ROM. 

• r(andom)-a(ccess) m(emory)

RAM, 

1. See reverse annuity mortgage. 

R.A.M., 

1. Royal Academy of Music.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

RAM / ræm/ acronym:noun

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

RAM abbreviation

1. Royal Academy of Music

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ram / 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

verb (rams, ramming, rammed)

1. (transitive) usually followed by into: 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
3. (tr; often followed by in or down) to stuff or cram (something into a hole, etc)
4. (tr; followed by onto, against etc) to thrust violently: he rammed the books onto the desk
5. (transitive) to present (an idea, argument, etc) forcefully or aggressively (esp in the phrase ram (something) down someone's throat)
6. (transitive) to drive (a charge) into a firearm

Etymology: Old English ramm; related to Old High German ram ram, Old Norse ramr fierce, rimma to fight

ˈrammer noun