spam

1 of 3

noun

ˈspam 

: unsolicited usually commercial messages (such as emails, text messages, or Internet postings) sent to a large number of recipients or posted in a large number of places

spam

2 of 3

verb

spammed; spamming

transitive verb

: to send or post spam to

spammed customers with discount offers

spamming a message board

intransitive verb

: to send or post spam

The company was accused of spamming via text messages.

spammer noun

Spam

3 of 3

trademark

—used for a canned meat product

Examples of spam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Companies can deploy these tools to keep their employees safe from intrusion attempts, while email and messaging providers can integrate them into their systems to prevent spam, malware, and other threats from ever reaching users. —Big Think, 24 Oct. 2025

The more the spam robocalls are flagged and then ignored, the more likely those behind the calls will give up, and the fewer scam victims there will be. —Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025

Verb

To spam post-ups every game in November would be to sprint the first half-mile of a marathon. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025

In addition to the core functions of a password manager, Proton Pass offers its free customers access to their logins across all devices and the ability to create email aliases, which can help reduce scams and spam messages in your inbox. —PC Magazine, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from a skit on the British television series Monty Python's Flying Circus in which chanting of the word Spam overrides the other dialogue

First Known Use

Noun

1990, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1994, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing spam

• anti-spam
• spam filter

Rhymes for spam

• am
• bam
• cham
• clam
• damme
• damn
• dram
• flam
• fram
• gram
• ham
• jam

Kids Definition

spam

1 of 2 noun

ˈspam 

: unsolicited usually commercial email sent to a large number of addresses

spam

2 of 2 verb

: to send spam to

spammer noun