ream

noun \ ˈrēm \

Definition of ream

1 :a quantity of paper being 20 quires or variously 480, 500, or 516 sheets

2 :a great amount —usually used in plural

reams of information

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Recent Examples of ream from the Web

Orbiting satellites also captured reams of data during the eclipse, NASA said.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "The solar eclipse is over, but scientists will be studying it for years," 22 Aug. 2017
As Mark Bergen and David Ramli report, China has three advantages in this new global arms race: a vast pool of engineers, 751 million internet users, and a supportive government willing to hand over reams of citizens’ data.

— bruce douglas, Bloomberg.com, "Balance of Power: Trump the Unifier," 15 Aug. 2017
The widely accepted account that hijackers commandeered and crashed the four 9/11 planes is supported by reams of evidence, from cockpit recordings to forensics to the fact that crews and passengers never returned home.

— Popular Mechanics, "Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report - The Planes," 1 Aug. 2017
Yes, there are reams of reporting and punditry in Politico, National Review, The Washington Post or Rachel Maddow, among other venues.

— vanityfair.com, "Donald Trump’s Bark Loses Its Bite," 31 July 2017
Newspapers that dropped Thanks a Million often received reams of mail from readers.

— jacqui shine, Longreads, "Percy Ross Wants to Give You Money!," 20 July 2017
With the advent of deep-learning algorithms, such rules are increasingly based on patterns extracted from reams of data.

— The Economist, "The algorithm kingdomChina may match or beat America in AI," 15 July 2017
The Swiss company’s flagship model, the ST2, has garnered reams of fawning reviews and a mantle of prestigious honors.

— rene chun, WIRED, "Review: Stromer ST1 X," 15 July 2017
But even now, after investigators sifted through reams of records and countless interviews, there is an unresolved mystery at the dark heart of the crime: Why Versace?

— david ovalle and joey flechas, miamiherald, "After 20 years, the spectacle of the Versace murder still intrigues and baffles," 14 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of ream

Middle English reme, from Anglo-French, ultimately from Arabic rizma, literally, bundle

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First Known Use: 14th century

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Other Paper Terms

folio, palimpsest, quire

ream

verb

Definition of ream

transitive verb

1 a :to widen the opening of (a hole) :countersink

b (1) :to enlarge, shape, or smooth out (a hole) with a reamer

(2) :to enlarge the bore of (something, such as a gun) in this way

c :to remove by reaming

2 a :to press out with a reamer

b :to press out the juice of (a fruit, such as an orange) with a reamer

3 :cheat, victimize

4 :reprimand —often used with out

reams out his players so severely
—Alexander Wolff

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Examples of ream in a Sentence

He got reamed in the press for his comments.
reamed a whole new generation of suckers with a variation of the Ponzi scheme

Recent Examples of ream from the Web

After one series in which Brady threw incompletions to Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, and in which Houston’s defense kept getting penetration, Brady yanked off his helmet on the way to the sidelines and reamed out his teammates.

— peter king, SI.com, "Patriots-Texans Camp Practice: ‘A Great Day to Measure Yourself Against the Best’," 16 Aug. 2017
Now the stars are being refurbished, the aged pipes reamed clean and the new pump wrangled into its damp pit.

— steve hendrix, Washington Post, "Where’s the water? In the nation’s capital, dry fountains mar the landscape.," 9 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of ream

perhaps from Middle English *remen to open up, from Old English rēman; akin to Old English rȳman to open up, rūm space — more at room

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1815

See Words from the same year

ream Synonyms

Synonyms

beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, flimflam, gaff, gyp, hose [slang], hustle, mulct, nobble [British slang], pluck, fleece, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize

Related Words

extort, wrench, wrest, wring; clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak; exploit, milk; deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick; rope (in); betray, bitch, double-cross; bamboozle, fast-talk

Other Handicraft Terms

biscuit, darn, tambour, wrought

REAM Defined for English Language Learners

ream

noun

Definition of ream for English Language Learners

: an amount of paper that equals 480, 500, or 516 sheets
reams : a large amount of writing

ream

verb

Definition of ream for English Language Learners

: to criticize (someone) in an angry way

REAM Defined for Kids

ream

noun \ ˈrēm \

Definition of ream for Students

1 :a quantity of paper that may equal 480, 500, or 516 sheets

2 reams plural :a great amount

I took reams of notes in class.

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