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
The Arizona Game and Fish Department said Friday the carcass of the adult ram was found not far from a farm field near Gila Bend, about 70 miles southwest of Phoenix. CBS News, 12 Feb. 2024 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
Verb
Police said the woman intentionally rammed the Kia owner, who ended up on the hood of the Corvette. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024 Chiarello’s car troubles were soon overshadowed, however, by viral images of the aftermath of an accident late Sunday night in which a Cybertruck driver rammed the iconic sign of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Most of the dead were killed by ramming as aid truck drivers tried to escape the gunfire and chaos, eyewitnesses and the IDF both said. Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self and Texas counterpart Rodney Terry shared the same sentiment after watching junior forward KJ Adams knock down six shots and ram two dunks in the Jayhawks’ 86-67 rout of Texas on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2024 Officers blocked the minivan from leaving the area, and its driver rammed unmarked police vehicles in an unsuccessful attempt to drive away, the news release stated. Madeline Nguyen, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 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

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 28 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!