bam

1. Representing a loud noise or heavy impact.

   The wind knocked the tree over last night. Bam! It nearly scared me to death.

   1 more example

   We all looked up from the maps, silent, and listened to the hurried footsteps in the entryway. They padded up the red carpet, bam-bam-bam, and across the landing and then up the next flight at a gallop, bam-bam-bam.

   2007, Joe Biden, Promises to Keep, New York: Random House, published 2008, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 266

2. Representing a sudden or abrupt occurrence.

   She said she dumped him. Now — bam! — they're back together.

plural bams

1. ScotlandslangA ned; a bampot.

plural bams

1. archaicslangAn imposition; a cheat; a hoax.

   To relieve the tedium he kept plying them with all manner of bams.

   1844, John Wilson, Essay on the Genius, and Character of Burns

present singular third person bams · participle present bamming · participle past bammed · past bammed

1. archaicslangTo impose on (someone) by a falsehood; to cheat.

   This is some conspiracy, I suppose, to bam, to chouse me out of my money

   1774, Samuel Foote, The Cozeners

   1 more example

   I’ll break a lamp, bully a constable, bam a justice, or bilk a boxkeeper with any man in the liberties of Westminster.

   1747, David Garrick, Miss in Her Teens: or the Medley of Lovers, Act II, in The Plays of David Garrick: A Complete Collection of the Social Satires, French Adaptations, Pantomimes, Christmas and Musical Plays, Preludes, Interludes, and Burlesques, ed. Harry William Pedicord and Fredrick Louis Bergmann, vol. 1 (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1980), 93

2. archaicslangTo jeer or make fun of.

plural bams

1. abbreviationAbbreviation of bare-arse minimum.

1. abbreviationinitialismuncountableInitialism of bile acid malabsorption.
2. abbreviationinitialismuncountablebusinessInitialism of business activity monitoring.
3. abbreviationuncountableAbbreviation of binary angular measurement

1. abbreviationinitialismrail transportInitialism of Baikal–Amur Mainline.

1. The capital city of Bam County, Kerman Province, Iran.
2. A county of Kerman Province, Iran.