ram

CEFRB2

/ˈɹæm/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    An adult male sheep.

  2. 02

    verb

    To hit something hard, especially with a vehicle.

Examples

  • The police used a battering ram to break down the door.

  • I don't have enough RAM.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈɹeə̯m/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Acronym of random-access machine.

  2. Acronym of relative atomic mass; sometimes styled r.a.m..

  3. A male sheep, typically uncastrated.

More examples

In context

  • After placing the cartridge in the musket, ram it down securely with the ramrod.

  • The man, driving an SUV, then rammed the gate, according to police.

  • To build a sturdy fence, you have to ram the posts deep into the ground.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The animal that attacked the fence was a wild blank with thick horns.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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”).