I. ram 1 /ræm/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle rammed , present participle ramming )
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: Probably from ⇨ ↑ RAM 2 ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to run or drive into something very hard:
In the latest raid, thieves used his van to ram a police car.
ram into
He lost control of his truck and rammed into a van, killing two people.
2 . [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to push something into a position, using great force:
First, you’ll have to ram the posts into the ground.
I rammed my foot down on the brake.
3 . ram something down sb’s throat to try to make someone accept an idea or opinion by repeating it many times, especially when they are not interested
4 . ram something home to make sure someone fully understands something by emphasizing it and by providing a lot of examples, proof etc:
a police video ramming home the dangers of driving fast in fog
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THESAURUS
▪ crash verb [intransitive and transitive] to hit another vehicle, a tree, the ground etc, with a lot of force, causing a lot of damage:
The plane crashed a kilometre from the runway.
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He was scared I’d crash his car.
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The car crashed into a tree.
▪ hit verb [transitive] to move into something quickly and with force:
He wasn’t paying attention, and almost hit another car.
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The car hit a lamppost.
▪ collide verb [intransitive] if two cars, trains, planes etc collide, they hit each other, especially when they are moving in opposite directions:
The two planes collided in mid-air.
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An express train collided with a freight train in the morning rush hour.
▪ run into something phrasal verb [transitive] to hit a vehicle or object that is directly in front of you, especially because you are not paying attention:
He ran into the car in front while he was talking on his mobile phone.
▪ smash into something phrasal verb [transitive] to crash into something, causing a great amount of damage:
An army helicopter smashed into the side of the mountain.
▪ plough into British English , plow into American English phrasal verb [transitive] to crash into something with a lot of force, especially when your vehicle continues moving afterwards:
The bus went out of control and ploughed into a line of traffic.
▪ ram verb [transitive] to deliberately hit another boat or vehicle very hard, especially when it is not moving:
The ship had been rammed by a submarine.
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The gunmen tried to ram the police car.
II. ram 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: ramm ]
1 . an adult male sheep ⇨ ewe
2 . a ↑ battering ram
3 . a machine that hits something again and again to force it into a position