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 roommates’ incompatible goals and perennial brokeness lead to side-splitting conflicts, with Shelby cramming for her GED while Kaitlin’s greatest ambition is to throw an epic island party. Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026 The network had a two-way smuggling route between Algeria and Spain, transporting drugs to the African nation and cramming boats with migrants for the return trip to Spanish coastal towns, Spain’s Civil Guard said. ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cramming
Verb
  • Squeeze your glutes, engage your core and drive your heels into the floor to raise your hips up to the ceiling while gently squeezing the ball.
    Andee Tagle, NPR, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Google hasn't explained the cut, but the timing lines up with the same memory and AI infrastructure costs squeezing pricing across the entire industry this year.
    Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Nearly an hour after Nolan was last seen, friends on one of the boats noticed its bilge pump had failed and water was rapidly filling the hull, Tyler Cox and Edward Paltzik, attorneys for the friends, told CNN.
    Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Tender cuts of meat, spicy cucumber salads, and lobster mac and cheese are rich but not overpowering, satisfying but not overly filling, and beautifully presented.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 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
  • Another man was taken to Insight Hospital and Medical Center in fair condition after also inhaling water, police said.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • People are thought to get infected by inhaling the amoeba from windblown dust or by getting contaminated soil or water in a wound.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The unit also dabbled in artificial intelligence, which Hegseth has been pushing, and designing drones resistant to jamming.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said NCSIST had already verified jamming capabilities for the newer frequency and would introduce them through future upgrades.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Inspectors now have less of a presence in the orchards, which are located in isolated hills where armed groups operate with little interference, and concentrate on packing plants.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • That makes packing a separate charging brick or adapter for every device especially unnecessary.
    Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Even fussy kids were devouring their slices and were largely eating their crusts.
    Laura Ness, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Sainsbury was inspired to create the podcast after devouring hit true crime pods like Serial, The Teacher’s Pet and Amanda Knox’s Blood Money and realizing there was a clear parody angle.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The Sox right fielder walked on the next pitch, loading the bases with two outs in the 10th, but Tristan Peters grounded out to first to end the threat.
    LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Lucas Erceg was picked to close but was yanked for Steven Cruz after loading the bases with no outs in 14 pitches.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cramming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cramming. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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