Library / English Dictionary

LAM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: lammed    , lamming   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A rapid escape (as by criminals)

Example:

after the expose he had to take it on the lam

Synonyms:

getaway; lam

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("lam" is a kind of...):

escape; flight (the act of escaping physically)

Derivation:

lam (flee; take to one's heels; cut and run)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give a thrashing to; beat hard

Synonyms:

flail; lam; thrash; thresh

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "lam" is one way to...):

beat; beat up; work over (give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression)

Verb group:

bat; clobber; cream; drub; lick; thrash (beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to lam the prisoners

Sense 2

Meaning:

Flee; take to one's heels; cut and run

Example:

The burglars escaped before the police showed up

Synonyms:

break away; bunk; escape; fly the coop; head for the hills; hightail it; lam; run; run away; scarper; scat; take to the woods; turn tail

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "lam" is one way to...):

go away; go forth; leave (go away from a place)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "lam"):

flee; fly; take flight (run away quickly)

skedaddle (run away, as if in a panic)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

lam (a rapid escape (as by criminals))

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