ram
To collide with (an object), usually with the intention of damaging it or disabling its function.
Adjective
- Rancid; offensive in smell or taste.
Origin
Likely from Old Norse ramr, rammr (“strong, rank, bitter”), from Proto-Germanic *rammaz (“strong, overbearing; acrid, rank”), perhaps ultimately related to Etymology 1 above. Compare Scots ram (“a rank odour”). Compare also Middle English rammish (“rank, offensive in smell”).
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Related
Noun
- A male sheep, typically uncastrated.
- A battering ram; a heavy object used for breaking through doors.
- The solid oak door—he fingered it again—was as though made to resist a ram, the walls built to withstand a siege, and every stone and brick in wall, bench, or floor was as immovable as the face of a rock. - 1934, Ernest...
- A warship intended to sink other ships by ramming them.
- About a couple of miles out lay an ironclad very low in the water, almost, to my brother's perception, like a water-logged ship. This was the ram Thunder Child. - 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William...
- A reinforced section of the bow of a warship, intended to be used for ramming other ships.
- A piston powered by hydraulic pressure.
- An act of ramming.
- A weight which strikes a blow, in a ramming device such as a pile driver, steam hammer, or stamp mill.
- He describes the operation thus: "The heavy ram employed to impart the finishing strokes, hoisted up with double purchase and snail's pace to the summit of the Piling Engine, and then falling down like a thunderbolt on...
Origin
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”).
Forms
Hyponyms
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Derived
hydraulic ram ram air ram air turbine ram bow ram-cat ram cichlid ramhood ramjet ramlike ramline rammy ram-pack ram-packed ram press ram pressure ramraid ramrod ramshorn ramskin tunnel ram water ram
Verb
- To collide with (an object), usually with the intention of damaging it or disabling its function.
- The man, driving an SUV, then rammed the gate, according to police.
- Two snatch thieves who snatched a woman's bag experienced swift karma when their victim accidentally rammed into their motorcycle. - 2016 December 29, M. Kumar, “Snatch thieves accidentally rammed by victim”, in The...
- The other ships, either not caring or too badly-damaged to do anything about it, proceed on their mission, with König the last to fall silent, shot to pieces in a last attempt to ram the Bellerophon. - 2018 October 17,...
- To strike (something) hard, especially with an implement.
- To build a sturdy fence, you have to ram the posts deep into the ground.
- To seat a cartridge, projectile, or propellant charge in the breech of a firearm by pushing or striking.
- After placing the cartridge in the musket, ram it down securely with the ramrod.
- To force, cram or thrust (someone or something) into or through something.
- I quickly rammed another charge down the barrel and took aim.
- Again: great to take lessons in ethics from a guy currently trying to ram through a policy of freighting refugees off to cuddly Rwandan president Paul Kagame. - 2023 July 4, Marina Hyde, “Who’s for political Bazball...
- To fill or compact by pounding or driving.
- They rammed the earth walls to make them more compact
- To thrust during sexual intercourse.
- 1999, Mr.Web, Size Matters review by mr. web review Group: rec.arts.movies.erotica like feel a soft butt against their pelvis or ram a girl really hard with piston-like speed while she begs and screams for more
Origin
From Middle English rammen, from the noun (see above). Compare Old High German rammen.
Forms
Derived
overram ram home ram-jam rammable rammed earth rammer ram something down someone's throat unram