tom

plural toms

1. The male of the domesticated cat, especially if not neutered.
2. The male of the turkey.
3. The male of the orangutan.
4. The male of certain other animals.

   Synonyms: male, buck, stag

5. UKdatedslangA female prostitute.
6. USslangA lesbian.
7. abbreviationclippingentertainmentClipping of tom-tom.
8. obsoleteThe jack of trumps in the card game gleek.
9. UKobsoleteregionalA close-stool.

plural toms

1. UKgreengrocers' slangA tomato (the fruit).

   Toms 90p a pound

   1 more example

   “I'd like sausage, eggs, bacon, toms, mushies, beans – oh, and some fried bread,” said Mike.

   2009, Mark Penny, Jonathan Penny, The Golden Pig, page 160

1. Cockneyslanguncountablejewellery

present singular third person toms · participle present tomming · participle past tommed · past tommed

1. derogatoryintransitiveTo act in an obsequiously servile manner toward white authority.

present singular third person toms · participle present tomming · participle past tommed · past tommed

1. nauticalTo dig out a hole below the hatch cover of a bulker and fill it with cargo or weights to aid stability.

plural Toms

1. A diminutive of the male given name Thomas, also used as a formal male given name.

   Poor Tom's a-cold.

   c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]

   5 more examples

   "Good,—that's a whack. What's your name?" "Becky Thatcher. What's yours? Oh, I know. It's Thomas Sawyer." "That's the name they lick me by. I'm Tom when I'm good. You call me Tom, will you?"

   1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter VI, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 70

   What I'm worrying about is what Tom says when he starts talking." "Uncle Tom?" "I wish there was something else you could call him except 'Uncle Tom'," said Aunt Dahlia a little testily. "Every time you do it, I expect to see him turn black and start playing the banjo."

   1934, P. G. Wodehouse, Right Ho, Jeeves

   "We're not sure - we were expecting a girl for some reason. But we're thinking of something simple like Tom." "Thomas?" "No, just Tom."

   2008, David Park, The Truth Commissioner, →ISBN, page 366

   For the last decade at least, the trend seems to be that more untraditional names are being chosen over the Bobs, the Toms, the Sues and the Marys.

   2009 April 25, “Meet Number 16 Bus Shelter”, in Austin Daily Herald, archived from the original on 20 Jul 2025

   At the heart of much of the controversy surrounding DOGE’s review and access to much of the federal government’s financial payment data was the unique pairing of Tom Krause, a long-time software CEO, and Marko Elez, a 25-year-old recent employee at Musk’s company SpaceX.

   2025 February 7, Yahya Abou-Ghazala, Curt Devine, Majlie de Puy Kamp, Rene Marsh, “‘Second American Revolution’: The team behind DOGE’s government overhaul”, in CNN, archived from the original on 29 Mar 2025

2. A nickname for a common man.First known use since 1377

plural Toms

1. abbreviationellipsisuncommonEllipsis of Uncle Tom.

   1 more example

   I thought it was nice for them [civil rights volunteers] to come in here. But they wasn’t welcome among white people. The black people welcomed them with open arms, but they wasn’t welcomed by the white people. And the churches began to burn: Everetts Chapel and Union Hill. I’ll be honest and tell you the truth, I was a little afraid sometimes, depending on where the meeting was. It looked like the group was pushing forward and I didn’t want to be a “Tom.”

   2007 April, Roy DeBerry, Aviva Futorian, Stephen Klein, John Lyons, quoting Jessie Mae Epps, “Beginnings”, in Voices from the Mississippi Hill Country: The Benton County Civil Rights Movement, Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, published 2020, →ISBN, page 8

2. USrarenumismatic slangA United States two-dollar bill.

   Toms: two-dollar bills bearing the portrait of President Thomas Jefferson

   [1981, Ralph DeSola, Abbreviations Dictionary, expanded international 6th edition, New York, N.Y.: Elsevier, →ISBN, page 804, column 2

   5 more examples

   The article on CNN.com says the Treasury has $96 million in $2s in their vaults. They are printing new ones just to assure a supply. The new ones will be 2003 series with the same design as now. Printing more will have no direct effect on whether they circulate more, but articles like the recent ones will make people aware that they are still available. I'm picking up another strap of Toms tomorrow, hopefully crisp new - at least that what I asked the vault teller to order.

   2003 June 12, PossumTrot, “Treasury to Print More $2 Bills:)”, in rec.collecting.paper-money (Usenet), archived from the original on 22 Jun 2025

   In the past year I've spent over 2000 Toms with 90% used to well used. I have only seen a dozen or so with torn corners, almost always the upper left corner.

   2003 August 29, rhodo chrosite, “2 dollar bills”, in rec.collecting.paper-money (Usenet), archived from the original on 22 Jun 2025

   > I've listed some goodies on eBay. Some 1999 Two BEP bundles (including a Star bundle > with the striped wrapper) and a 2003 Two BEP bundle with a neat serial number. Whoops, you mean '95 Toms

   2003 December 25, DyzeeGF3, “[FA] 1995 Star Twos and other goodies”, in rec.collecting.paper-money (Usenet), archived from the original on 22 Jun 2025

   Join the discussion on www.wheresgeorge.com and then join the "Top Toms" club.

   2007 May 10, Fred Shecter, “A Teller That Likes $2 Bills :)”, in rec.collecting.paper-money (Usenet), archived from the original on 22 Jun 2025

   A two-dollar bill is sometimes referred to as a “deuce” or a “Tom.”

   [2023, Thomas S. Hischak, “Chicago”, in Broadway Decoded: Musical Theatre’s Forgotten References, Lanham, Md.: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, →ISBN, page 51

   Synonyms: Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson

1. euphemisticuncountablepersonificationSynonym of menstruation.

   Maybe later. Tom is in town.

   1 more example

   Sorry, maybe next week. Uncle Tom is visiting.

   Synonyms: menstruation

1. A large, deep-toned bell, or a particularly notable example of one.First known use since 17th century

   The city [New York] does not know a better auctioneer; the celebrated Tom Bell not ringing clearer.

   1848, “The book auction of New York”, in The Literary World

   3 more examples

   They had a thick rim, and when struck with pieces of wood, gave out a tone deeper than that of some of the Great Toms renowned in belldom.

   1857, William Chambers, Robert Chambers, “Something about bells”, in Chambers's Journal, volume 28, number 207, page 398

   After these came innumerable little boys bearing little bells, which made little noises in comparison to the "Big Tom" that preceded them.

   1857, “An earthquake in Honduras”, in Harper's Magazine

   And there little Johnny Bell hung dangling along with the great Tom bell, and all the rest of the bells.

   1825, Moncrieff, "A Parish-Clerk was Johnny Bell", The Universal Songster (in a song about a man who hangs himself in the bell tower)

1. abbreviationacronymeuphemisticAcronym of time of the month.
2. abbreviationacronymbiologyAcronym of Translocon on Outer Membrane.

plural ToMs

1. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of theory of mind.

   Thus there are stages of gaze following, followed by primary ToM, then secondary ToM, then perspective taking, with the speed of transitions influenced by experience[…]

   2017, Robert Sapolsky, chapter 7, in Behave, Penguin, →ISBN