cram 1 of 2

noun

Definition of cramnext
as in swarm
a great number of persons or things massed together battling the rush-hour cram in the subway

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

cram

2 of 2

verb

ˈkram How to pronounce cram (audio)
1
as in to squeeze
to fit (people or things) into a tight space tried to cram one more book into the backpack

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to fill
to put into (something) as much as can be held or contained crammed his mouth with candy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to stuff
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to devour
to swallow or eat greedily the thoughtless guest crammed a dinner that had taken hours to prepare

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 cram
Noun
Tangent time, spinning off this specific expansion (and recalling those who forever want to cram uninspiring Power 4 teams into college football’s championship systems). — Jason Kirk, New York Times, 1 May 2026 DeSantis’ map crams Democrats into just four of 28 districts – a high-stakes gamble that requires lightning to strike twice. — Daniel A. Smith, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Winding alleys house artisan workshops and squat homes crammed with prop cooking utensils, and down one street stands a sept that resembles a Romanesque church. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 Vintage clothes lovers will find Notio Bene Vintage, Mink Vintage, and Leila Boutique all crammed next to each other along the corner of Cukur Cuma Street and Boğazkesen Street. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cram
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cram
  1. swarm
  2. squeeze
  3. fill
  4. stuff
  5. devour
  6. throng
  7. load
  8. pack
Noun
  • As these dense swarms drift into coastal waters, intake pumps pull them directly into the cooling machinery.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • There is a swarm of people gathered in Jordan Roth’s studio for a couture fitting.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of swarm
Verb
  • Cheap electric cars dominate one end of the market, Tesla occupies the premium end, and the middle is getting squeezed.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Washington is trying to choke Iran's ability to get its crude out while Tehran is squeezing the artery through which everybody else's crude gets through.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • Be sure to plan at least one evening on-property to catch the sunset, when the mountains are painted in shades of pink and purple before giving way to a sky filled with twinkling stars.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
  • His previous spell on the Bernabeu bench was filled with arguments and feuds, with the Portuguese angrily taking on referees, journalists, opposition coaches and even his own players.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of fill
Verb
  • Take one scroll through his Instagram account, which shows off photos of trotters (pig feet) stuffed with sweetbreads (animal pancreas) and Alsatian headcheese (a mold made of pig scraps, usually from the animal’s head).
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Reducing exposure requires multifactor authentication, credential-stuffing protection, anomaly detection, and clear customer notification and recovery processes.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of stuff
Verb
  • Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in central Spain.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Ávila, in central Spain.
    — Suman Naishadham, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of devour
Noun
  • The defendant and his legal team declined to speak with a throng of reporters outside the courthouse.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Right in the middle of cheering, reveling masses was MARTA — a connective system of veins that efficiently moved the happy throngs.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of throng
Verb
  • Similarly, loading up the XI for the opener away to Fulham with players who have enjoyed the benefits of a full pre-season makes sense, too.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Singles by Trout, Nolan Schanuel and Vaughn Grissom loaded the bases.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of load
Verb
  • The trucks wait until all those in the area are ready before traveling in convoys to packing plants, accompanied by police patrols to prevent robberies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Espi joins a Madrid squad packed with stars, including Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and headline summer signings such as Yan Diomande, who joined in a deal worth up to €140million.
    — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of pack

Browse Nearby Words

crakes
cram
crammed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cram.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cram. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cram

Nglish: Translation of cram for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All