cramming

present participle of cram
1
as in squeezing
to fit (people or things) into a tight space tried to cram one more book into the backpack

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2
3
as in gorging
to fill with food to capacity one of those eating contests in which competitors attempt to cram themselves with as many hot dogs as they can in three minutes

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4
as in inhaling
to swallow or eat greedily the thoughtless guest crammed a dinner that had taken hours to prepare

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cramming The situation is also symptomatic of broader strains on the country's higher education system, where grossly limited spots leave millions cramming for months, or even years, and high-stakes entrance exams leave many of them burnt out and in debt. Sakshi Dayal, USA Today, 22 July 2026 An early 2022 op-ed in the University of Calgary’s student newspaper described the idea as the antithesis of hustle culture, one that finds satisfaction in mundane tasks rather than cramming productivity into every waking moment. Allison Palmer july 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026 This is an impressive chip, cramming nearly 100 billion transistors onto a piece of silicon roughly the size of a fingernail. John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 The trip took 76 days, with van Dongen splitting time between hours on his bike and cramming into an RV in parks and towns around the country. Kansas City Star, 24 June 2026 In recent weeks, NGOs helping the workers say the Cambodian authorities have stepped up detention of migrants for visa violations, cramming them in overcrowded detention facilities. Shibani Mahtani, NPR, 21 June 2026 At their core, Rush were always about glorious musical excess, routinely cramming more riffs and time signatures into single songs than some bands managed on entire albums. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 10 June 2026 The two stayed up late into the night Monday, cramming information on each candidate. Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026 Clark agreed with Reinhart’s observations, but warned that the four-day workweek wasn’t so much as cramming a 40-hour week into four days as a genuine reduction to 32 hours, one that respected an employee’s life outside of work. Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cramming
Verb
  • The depreciation has sounded alarm bells in Tokyo, with rising import costs squeezing businesses and consumers.
    Mia Glass, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • By squeezing the blocks together with the sample in the center, scientists apply an immense amount of pressure on it.
    Robin Macaluso, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Stale, incomplete or blocked data leaves AI filling gaps with guesses that still sound certain.
    Vaidotas Juknys, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • While most of the onigiri in Japanese convenience stores and markets is designed for snacking, Choe’s onigiri are hulking, chunky rounded triangles of rice and filling that each weigh at least half a pound.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • There will be title defenses from Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, who are the Michael Jordan and Diana Taurasi of gorging sausages.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • But gorging on pollen alone wasn’t enough to lengthen a life.
    Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia that is caused by inhaling the Legionella bacteria in small droplets of water mixed in the air or contaminated water accidentally going into the lungs.
    Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Health effects from inhaling wildfire smoke But the effects are sweeping, said Hayden, who has developed real-time mapping of mortality estimates from wildfire smoke.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 18 July 2026
Verb
  • He’s been jamming with The Internet again, his collective with childhood friends Syd and Matt Martians, who emerged from the Odd Future nexus to become a pacesetting act for young R&B and hip-hop fans.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026
  • Growing up, Tanner Dane and his best-friends-turned-bandmates used to spend hours and hours jamming in his Elgin attic.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
Verb
  • The World Cup acted as South Downtown’s debut, packing the area with traveling fans and locals taking their first look at downtown Atlanta’s next era.
    Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 30 July 2026
  • Hollywood hasn’t begun packing for the fall festivals in Venice, Telluride and Toronto, but the Sundance Film Festival has dropped in with a reminder that January is around the corner.
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • The youthfulness behind the order was balanced by his commitment to fitness and his role as a professional hockey player that kept him from devouring it all.
    Scott Powers, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • The swarms of flies that roamed the planet like a devouring fog enclosed the top of the tower, building new, shivering walls, buzzing in a frenzy of life and hunger.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 July 2026
Verb
  • Washington threatened to take the lead after loading the bases with one out in the eighth, but Louis Varland entered and worked out of the jam with a groundout, strikeout and flyout.
    ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • Kurt’s key takeaways What grabs me here is how much walking support the researchers created without loading someone down with bulky motors.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cramming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cramming. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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