Meanings
ream1
present singular third person reams · participle present reaming · participle past reamed · past reamed · alternative reem · alternative raim
- Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalTo cream; mantle; foam; froth.
a huge pewter measuring pot […] which, in the language of the hostess, reamed with excellent claret
1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC
ream2
present singular third person reams · participle present reaming · participle past reamed · past reamed · alternative reem · alternative rim
- To shape or form, especially using a reamer.
ream3
plural reams · alternative reme
- A bundle, package, or quantity of paper, nowadays usually containing 500 sheets.
- broadlyfigurativelyin plurallawAn extremely large quantity of documents, data, or information that supports a claim, investigation, or case.
The accountants requested reams of financial records.
- broadlyin pluralAn abstract large amount of something.
I can't go – I still have reams of work left.
1 more example
A large language model (LLM), the technology underpinning chatbots like ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude, is a type of neural network, a computer program different from typical software. By feeding it reams of data, engineers train the models to spot patterns and predict what “tokens,” or fragments of words, should come next in a given sequence.
2025 December 11, Charlie Campbell, Andrew R. Chow, Billy Perrigo, “The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year”, in TimeSynonyms: bunch, load, pile, abundance, battalion, arseload, assload, bellyload
Ream4
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo enlarge (a hole), especially using a reamer; to bore (a hole) wider.
verbTo remove burrs and debris from inside (something, such as a freshly bored hole) using a tool.
verbTo sexually penetrate in a rough and painful way.
verbTo yell at or berate.
nounAn abstract large amount of something.
Origin
ream · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*réwgʰmn̥“to sour [milk]”
- Proto-Germanic*raumaz“cream”
- Proto-West Germanic*raum
- Old Englishrēam“cream”
- Middle Englishrem
- Englishream
From Middle English rem, reme, from Old English rēam (“cream”), from Proto-West Germanic *raum, from Proto-Germanic *raumaz (“cream”), from Proto-Indo-European *réwgʰmn̥ (“to sour [milk]”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Room (“cream”), West Frisian rjemme (“cream”), Dutch room (“cream”), German Low German Rahm, Rohm (“cream”), German Rahm (“cream”), Swedish römme (“cream”), Norwegian rømme (“sour cream”), Faroese rómi (“cream”), Icelandic rjómi (“cream”). See also ramekin.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →ream · verb
Etymology uncertain, possibly a variant of rime (etymology 4) with the East Anglian and Kentish development of Old English /yː/ to /eː/ (the modern spelling would thus be unetymologically for *reem). Doublet of room. Cognates * Dutch ruimen (“to empty, evacuate”) * German räumen (“to make room”) * Icelandic rýma (“to make room, clear”).
Full word history & related roots →ream · noun
- Arabicرِزْمَة“bundle”
- Catalanraima“ream”
- Old Frenchraime
- Middle Englishreme
- Englishream
From Middle English reme, from Old French raime, rayme (“ream”) (French rame), from Catalan raima (“ream”), from Arabic رِزْمَة (rizma, “bundle”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Catalan
Full word history & related roots →Ream · proper noun
From the German surname, Anglicized from Riehm, Röhm, Roehm.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian райберовам, райберовам
- райберовам (rajberovam)to enlarge a hole
- райберовам (rajberovam)to remove material by reaming
- поря (porja)slang: to sexually penetrate in a rough and painful way
- куп (kup)abstract large amount
- топ (top)bundle of paper
Catalan barrinar, barrinar
- barrinarto enlarge a hole
- barrinarto remove material by reaming
- raimabundle of paper
Chinese Cantonese 令, 拈
- 令 (lim¹)bundle of paper
- 拈 (lim¹)bundle of paper
- 捻 (lim¹)bundle of paper
Chinese Mandarin 令
- 令 (lǐng)bundle of paper
Czech vystružit, vystruhovat
- vystružitto enlarge a hole
- vystruhovatto enlarge a hole
- vystružitto remove material by reaming
- rysbundle of paper
Dutch riem
- riembundle of paper
Finnish avartaa, aarporata
- avartaato enlarge a hole
- aarporatato enlarge a hole
- aarporatato remove material by reaming
- aarporatato shape or form, especially using a reamer
- survoaslang: to sexually penetrate in a rough and painful way
- vaahdotaslang: to yell at or berate
- keuhkotaslang: to yell at or berate
- kasaabstract large amount
- läjäabstract large amount
- tukkuabstract large amount
- riisibundle of paper
French aléser, rame
- aléserto enlarge a hole
- ramebundle of paper
- rame de papierbundle of paper
- ramettebundle of paper
German reiben, aufbohren
- reibento enlarge a hole
- aufbohrento enlarge a hole
- entgratento remove burrs and debris from a freshly bored hole
- Mengeabstract large amount
- Riesbundle of paper
Hungarian rizsma
- rizsmabundle of paper
Indonesian rim
- rimbundle of paper
Irish uafás, réam
- uafásabstract large amount
- réambundle of paper
Italian risma
- rismabundle of paper
Māori heu kō(w)hao
- heu kō(w)haoto enlarge a hole
Norwegian Bokmål ris
- risbundle of paper
Polish rozwiercać, poszerzać
- rozwiercaćto enlarge a hole
- poszerzaćto enlarge a hole
- ryzabundle of paper
Portuguese resma
- resmabundle of paper
Russian развёртывать, рассве́рливать
- развёртывать (razvjórtyvatʹ)to enlarge a hole
- рассве́рливать (rassvérlivatʹ)to enlarge a hole
Spanish escariar, resma
- escariarto enlarge a hole
- resmabundle of paper
Swedish brotscha, upprymma
- brotschato enlarge a hole
- upprymmato enlarge a hole
- risbundle of paper
Tagalog resma
- resmabundle of paper
Thai รีม
- รีม (riim)bundle of paper
Welsh llond gwlad, pentwr
- llond gwladabstract large amount
- pentwrabstract large amount
- rîmbundle of paper
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ream
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
ream. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ream
“ream.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ream. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ream,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ream.
Source: ream on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.