ram

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
a
: a male sheep
b
capitalized : aries
2
b
: a warship with a heavy beak at the prow for piercing an enemy ship
3
: any of various guided pieces for exerting pressure or for driving or forcing something by impact: such as
a
: the plunger of a hydrostatic press or force pump
b
: the weight that strikes the blow in a pile driver

ram

2 of 3

verb

rammed; ramming

intransitive verb

1
: to strike with violence : crash
2
: to move with extreme rapidity

transitive verb

1
: to force in by or as if by driving
2
a
: to make compact (as by pounding)
b
: cram, crowd
3
: to force passage or acceptance of
ram home an idea
4
: to strike against violently
rammer noun

RAM

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a computer memory on which data can be both read and written and on which the location of data does not affect the speed of its retrieval
especially : RAM that acts as the main storage available to the user for programs and data

called also random-access memory

compare rom

Examples of ram in a Sentence

Verb They deliberately rammed my car from behind. The car slid and rammed against the wall. He deliberately rammed his car into mine. She rammed her fist against the wall in anger. She rammed the cork into the barrel. He opened the chute and rammed the clothes down. Noun (2) My computer is slow because it needs more RAM.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For two weeks, the building had displayed seasonal dioramas, and one, alongside the Nativity scenes and menorahs, was especially eye-catching: a six-foot-tall robed figure with a ram’s head meant to be the pagan god Baphomet. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2024 According to Devlin’s report, the tactical unit decided to breach the front door of the residence using an extended ram attached to the front of an armored vehicle. Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2024 For the most part, scientists have studied aspects of procreation in space only in animals, including fruit flies, frogs, newts, geckos, aquatic crustaceans, quails, rats, mice and, intriguingly, rams. Kim Tingley, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023 The current dominant ram is Igor, and he was named—as were all his associates—by Luke’s three young sons. David Sedaris, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023 Taylor, an emergency medical technician, was sleeping at home with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker when officers charged into the apartment, using a battering ram to break down the door. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2023 That's when the Dodge minivan rams the Alfa Romeo into the shoulder of the freeway in a scene worthy of a Hollywood stunt. Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 27 Oct. 2023 After a snow leopard kills nine rams owned by a herder, a bitter conflict ensues between the herder who wants to kill the snow leopard and the father who wants to release it. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2023 Not only is the mantlepiece draped with a fresh garland, but the Barbary ram gets his own Christmas crown. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2023
Verb
Republican lawmakers rammed the bill through the state House on Wednesday, skipping the public comment portion of the process. Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 2 Mar. 2024 California Young teen accused of ramming car into Ruben’s Bakery before mob ransacked it Jan. 24, 2024 A few minutes later, both suspects allegedly left the business carrying multiple bags. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024 Advertisement At about 7:30 a.m., the man allegedly returned to the sheriff’s Ramona substation in a pickup and rammed the back gate, then fled the scene before deputies could respond, Sutton said. Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2024 The video shows Graham ramming the door with his car several times, eventually successfully smashing an opening large enough for the 6-2 man to get inside. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2024 And that was rammed home to Mahomes after a post from the official NFL Instagram from the Kansas City Chiefs’ locker room following their victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game showed a topless Mahomes speaking to his teammates. Ben Morse, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024 Veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney prompted another 15-yard whistle by ramming into Mahomes’ face-mask with a helmet-first blow. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2024 At some point – and with the fire still raging – an armored vehicle was seen ramming the house on the WPVI footage. John Miller, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024 But the show wastes no opportunity to ram home that '40s feeling—every room is dimly lit, and every Allied office feels like a ramshackle clapboard mess. Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ram.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English ramm; akin to Old High German ram

Verb

Middle English rammen, probably from ram, noun

Noun (2)

random-access memory

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1519, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1957, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ram was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ram

Cite this Entry

“Ram.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ram. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ram

1 of 3 noun
1
: a male sheep
2

ram

2 of 3 verb
rammed; ramming
1
: to strike or strike against with violence : crash
2
: to force in, down, or through by or as if by driving or pressing
rammer noun

RAM

3 of 3 noun
: a computer memory that acts as the main storage available to the user for programs and data compare ROM

Medical Definition

ram

noun
: a male sheep

More from Merriam-Webster on ram

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