Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To force, press, or squeeze (something) into an insufficient or barely sufficient space; stuff.
  • intransitive verb To feed a large amount of food to (an animal).
  • intransitive verb To fill (oneself or one's stomach, for example) with food.
  • intransitive verb To move into and fully occupy a space.
  • intransitive verb To study hastily for an impending examination.
  • noun Hasty study for an imminent examination.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To press or drive, particularly thrust (one thing), into another forcibly; stuff; crowd: as, to cram things into a basket or bag.
  • To fill with more than can be properly, conveniently, or comfortably contained; fill to repletion; overcrowd: as, to cram a room with people.
  • To fill with food beyond what is necessary, or to satiety; stuff.
  • To endeavor to qualify (a pupil or one's self) for an examination, or other special purpose, in a comparatively short time, by storing the memory with information, not so much with a view to real learning as to passing the examination; coach.
  • To tell lies to; fill up with false stories.
  • To eat greedily or to satiety; stuff one's self.
  • To store the memory hastily with facts, for the purpose of passing an examination or for some other immediate use; in general, to acquire knowledge hurriedly by a forced process, without assimilating it: as, to cram for a civil-service examination; to cram for a lecture.
  • noun A densely packed gathering or crowd; a crush; a ‘jam.’
  • noun In weaving, a warp having more than two threads in each dent or split of the reed.
  • noun The act or the result of cramming the memory; information acquired hurriedly and not assimilated.
  • noun A lie.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To eat greedily, and to satiety; to stuff.
  • intransitive verb colloq. To make crude preparation for a special occasion, as an examination, by a hasty and extensive course of memorizing or study.
  • noun The act of cramming.
  • noun colloq. Information hastily memorized.
  • noun (Weaving) A warp having more than two threads passing through each dent or split of the reed.
  • transitive verb To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to crowd; to fill to superfluity.
  • transitive verb To fill with food to satiety; to stuff.
  • transitive verb To put hastily through an extensive course of memorizing or study, as in preparation for an examination.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of cramming.
  • noun Information hastily memorized; as, a cram from an examination.
  • noun A warp having more than two threads passing through each dent or split of the reed.
  • verb To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to crowd; to fill to superfluity; as, to cram anything into a basket; to cram a room with people.
  • verb To fill with food to satiety; to stuff.
  • verb To put hastily through an extensive course of memorizing or study, as in preparation for an examination; as, a pupil is crammed by his tutor.
  • verb Study hard, swot.
  • verb To eat greedily, and to satiety; to stuff.
  • verb To make crude preparation for a special occasion, as an examination, by a hasty and extensive course of memorizing or study.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb prepare (students) hastily for an impending exam
  • verb put something somewhere so that the space is completely filled
  • verb crowd or pack to capacity
  • verb study intensively, as before an exam

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English crammen, from Old English crammian; see ger- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

Comments

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  • Marc in reverse:

    1. The pulpy residue left after the juice has been pressed from grapes, apples, or other fruits.

    2. Brandy distilled from grape or apple residue.

    July 30, 2007

  • "FIRST CITIZEN: Care for us! True, indeed! They ne'er cared for us yet. Suffer us to famish, and their storehouses crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act established against the rich, and provide more piercing statutes daily to chain up and restrain the poor."

    - William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus'.

    August 28, 2009