ram

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈram 

1

a

: a male sheep

b

capitalized : aries

2

a

: battering ram

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)

ˈram 

: 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

Synonyms

Verb

• bang
• bash
• bump
• collide
• crash
• hit
• impact
• impinge
• knock
• slam
• smash
• strike
• swipe
• thud

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

When Jack finds a couple of Michael’s rams have wandered onto his family’s land, Jack keeps them and attempts to sell them at a local auction. —Scott Phillips, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024

Another important observance is the blowing of the shofar, or a curved ram’s horn. —Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 11 Oct. 2024

Verb

Was this the right moment for opposition parties to ram through a parliamentary vote and elect a president? —Kim Ghattas, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2024

And earlier this year, a South Carolina man who reportedly espoused right-wing conspiracy theories rammed his vehicle into a gate at the FBI's office in Atlanta. —Mike Levine, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2024

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

Phrases Containing ram

• battering ram
• force/ram/shove (something) down someone's throat
• ram-raiding
• ram (something) home

Kids Definition

ram

1 of 3 noun

ˈram 

1

: a male sheep

2

: battering ram

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

ˈram 

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

Medical Definition

ram

noun

ˈram 

: a male sheep