cram

¹

[kram]

verb (used with object)

crammed, cramming 

1. to fill (something) by force with more than it can easily hold.

   Synonyms: overcrowd, compress, squeeze, pack, crowd

2. to force or stuff (usually followed by into, down, etc.).

3. to fill with or as with an excessive amount of food; overfeed.

   Synonyms: glut

4. Informal.

   1. to prepare (a person), as for an exam, by having them memorize information within a short period of time.

   2. to acquire knowledge of (a subject) by so preparing oneself.

5. Archaic.,  to tell lies to.

verb (used without object)

crammed, cramming 

1. to eat greedily or to excess.

   Synonyms: gorge

2. to study for an examination by memorizing facts at the last minute.

3. to press or force accommodation in a room, vehicle, etc., beyond normal or comfortable capacity; crowd; jam.

   The whole team crammed into the bus.

noun

1. Informal.,  the act of preparing for an exam by memorizing information within a short time period.

2. an excessively full state.

3. a dense crowd; throng.

Cram

²

[kram]

noun

1. Ralph Adams, 1863–1942, U.S. architect and writer.

cram

¹

/ kræm /

verb

1. (tr) to force (people, material, etc) into (a room, container, etc) with more than it can hold; stuff

2. to eat or cause to eat more than necessary

3. informal,  to study or cause to study (facts, etc), esp for an examination, by hastily memorizing

noun

1. the act or condition of cramming

2. a crush

Cram

²

/ kræm /

noun

1. Steve. born 1960, English middle-distance runner: European 1500 m champion (1981, 1986); world 1500 m champion (1983)

Other Word Forms

• crammingly adverb
• well-crammed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cram¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English crammen, Old English crammian “to stuff,” akin to crimman “to put in”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cram¹

Old English crammian; related to Old Norse kremja to press

Example Sentences

Lee Carsley, who held the fort between Southgate's departure and the former Chelsea manager's arrival, managed to cram eight debutants into six matches while at the helm.

From BBC

Behind a partition in the warehouse, bins full of fabric cram the storage space.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s not easy to cram a four-round postseason in a month.

From Los Angeles Times

Blue screens are dragged across to split up the space: a makeshift reception at the front and then just enough room to cram in two GPs, a pharmacist, a physiotherapist, two nurses and someone organising prostate cancer tests.

From BBC

However, he was not too fond of the emerging term, which seemed to cram different styles like mambo, charanga, rumba, guaracha and danzón into one single category.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crowd 
• load 
• overcrowd 
• pack 
• ram 
• shove 
• squeeze 
• stuff 
• wedge