cram

/kræm/

/kræm/

Other forms: crammed; cramming; crams

To cram is to crowd or stuff people or things into a limited amount of space. You might be tempted to cram your mouth full of your mom's chocolate chip cookies, especially if they just came out of the oven and are still warm and gooey.

You can cram yourself with food, or cram your books onto a shelf that's not quite big enough to hold them. A writer might cram one book with dozens of characters, or you could cram homemade pancakes with blueberries. Another way to cram is to study for a test all in one session: "I haven't studied at all yet — I'll have to stay up tonight and cram." The Old English root, crammian, means "stuff something into something else."

Definitions of cram

1. verb

   crowd or pack to capacity
   synonyms: chock up, jam, jampack, ram, wad

   type of:

   stuff

   cram into a cavity
2. verb

   put something somewhere so that the space is completely filled
   “cram books into the suitcase”

   synonyms:

   chock up, jam, jampack, ram, wad

   crowd or pack to capacity

   types:

   stuff

   cram into a cavity

   chock up, jam, jampack, ram, wad

   crowd or pack to capacity

   overstuff

   stuff too much

   fill out, pad

   line or stuff with soft material

   type of:

   lay, place, pose, position, put, set

   put into a certain place or abstract location
3. verb

   study intensively, as before an exam
   synonyms: bone, bone up, drum, get up, grind away, mug up, swot, swot up

   type of:

   hit the books, study

   learn by reading books
4. verb

   prepare (students) hastily for an impending exam
   synonyms:

   bone, bone up, drum, get up, grind away, mug up, swot, swot up

   study intensively, as before an exam

   type of:

   fix, gear up, prepare, ready, set, set up

   make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc