ham

UK: /ˈhæm/ US: /hæm/ ,(ham)

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

hams

v 3rd person singular

hamming

v pres p

hammed

v past

hammed

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ham¹ /hæm/   n. 

1. Food a cut of meat from a hog's hind quarter:
   [uncountable] We had plenty of ham left over.
   [countable] fresh hams hanging in the butcher shop.
2. Anatomy Often, hams. [plural] the back of the thigh, or the thigh and the buttock together.

ham² /hæm/   n., v., hammed, ham•ming. 
n. [countable]

1. Show Business an actor or performer who overacts.
2. an operator of an amateur radio station:
   The ham operators told the outside world about the revolution in their country.

v. [no obj]

3. Show Business Also, ham it up. to act with exaggerated expression of emotion;
   overact:
   hamming (it up) for the camera.

ham•my, adj., -mi•er, -mi•est. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ham¹  (ham), n. 

1. Food a cut of meat from the heavy-muscled part of a hog's rear quarter, between hip and hock, usually cured.
2. Zoology that part of a hog's hind leg.
3. Anatomy the part of the leg back of the knee.
4. Anatomy Often, hams. the back of the thigh, or the thigh and the buttock together.

• bef. 1000; Middle English hamme, Old English hamm bend of the knee; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German hamme, Old High German hamma; akin to Old Norse hǫm buttock; perh. akin to Greek kné̄mē shin, Old Irish cnáim bone

ham²  (ham), n., v., hammed, ham•ming. 
n. 

1. Show Business an actor or performer who overacts.
2. an operator of an amateur radio station.

v.i., v.t. 

3. Show Business to act with exaggerated expression of emotion;
   overact.
4. Show Business, Idioms ham it up, to overact;
   ham.

• short for hamfatter, after The Hamfat Man, a black minstrel song celebrating an awkward man 1880–85

Ham  (ham), n. 

1. Bible the second son of Noah, Gen. 10:1.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ham / hæm/ noun

1. the part of the hindquarters of a pig or similar animal between the hock and the hip
2. the meat of this part, esp when salted or smoked
3. the back of the leg above the knee

Etymology: Old English hamm; related to Old High German hamma haunch, Old Irish cnāim bone, camm bent, Latin camur bent

ham / hæm/ noun

1. an actor who overacts or relies on stock gestures or mannerisms
2. overacting or clumsy acting
3. (as modifier): a ham actor
4. a licensed amateur radio operator

verb (hams, hamming, hammed)

1. to overact

Etymology: 19th Century: special use of ham¹; in some senses probably influenced by amateur