em

noun \ ˈem \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of em

1 : the letter m

2 : the width of a piece of type about as wide as it is tall used as a unit of measure of typeset matter

Recent Examples of em from the Web

Oh-em-gee, this might very well be the greatest Disney Channel reunion of all time!

— victoria rodriguez, Seventeen, "Cole Sprouse, Demi Lovato, Alyson Stoner, and More Disney Channel Stars Had an Insane Reunion," 5 Apr. 2018
Fico feliz em poder compartilhar um pouco desta jornada de altos e baixos que me trouxeram até aqui.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Gisele Bündchen Is Writing a Book on How to Live Like Gisele Bündchen," 21 Mar. 2018
With no power outage Friday, Trump may have opted to time the firing of H.R. McMaster and hiring of John-Bomb 'em-Bolton to distract attention from the McDougal interview.

— jeff darcy, cleveland.com, "Stoneman Douglas Eagles soar in March for Our Lives: Darcy cartoon," 25 Mar. 2018
Although never thematically straying to far from a robot-monster beat-em-up, Uprising does mimic some real-world drama about the future of human warfare, specifically the ethical use of drones.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "Pacific Rim Returns In Excellent B-Movie Fashion," 20 Mar. 2018
The actual proposal for a one-week shoot-em-out can be picked apart under cross-examination.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Mailbag: Breaking Down the Details of the Proposed Davis Cup Changes," 28 Feb. 2018
The kitchen turns out tasty and quick staples like burgers, grilled cheese and tatchos (don't ask, just order 'em).

— susan selasky and detroit free press staff, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Auto Show: Fuel up at more than 25 nearby bars and restaurants," 20 Jan. 2018
Hoje você está começando uma nova fase e eu lhe desejo muitas felicidades e realizações em todos os aspectos da sua vida.

— eileen reslen, Good Housekeeping, "Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen Really Do Have the Strongest Marriage," 22 Jan. 2018
Even just those two extra hours count, so get ‘em in.

— eden univer, Cosmopolitan, "Exactly How to Make Your Eyes Look Bigger and Brighter," 24 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'em.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of em

13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Alphabet Terms

cuneiform, linear, minuscule, pictograph, rune, symbology, wedge

EM

abbreviation

Definition of EM

1 electromagnetic

2 electron microscope; electron microscopy

3 end matched

4 engineer of mines

5 enlisted man

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

feedback, fuse, incandescent, noise, resonance

em-

prefix

Definition of em-

— see en-

EM Defined for Kids

em-

Definition of em- for Students

see en-

Medical Dictionary

EM

abbreviation

medical Definition of EM

1 electromagnetic

2 electron microscope; electron microscopy

3 emergency medicine

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em

Definition of em

Recent Examples of em from the Web

First Known Use of em

Other Alphabet Terms

EM

Definition of EM

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

em-

Definition of em-

EM Defined for Kids

em-

Definition of em- for Students

Medical Dictionary

EM

medical Definition of EM

Learn More about em

Seen and Heard

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