ham
noun (1)
\ ˈham
\
\
Definition of ham
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a
: the hollow of the knee
b
: a buttock with its associated thigh
—usually used in plural
2
: a cut of meat consisting of a thigh
especially
: one from a hog
3 [ short for hamfatter, from "The Ham-fat Man," minstrel song ]
a
: a showy performer
especially
: an actor performing in an exaggerated theatrical style
b
: someone who enjoys performing and who tends to behave in an exaggerated or playful way when people are watching
A bit of a ham, she's been collecting these one-liners for decades.— Elizabeth Rubin " … I was always sort of a ham. I talk a lot. I'm wild. I was always performing growing up … "— Pokey LaFarge
c
: a licensed operator of an amateur radio station
4
: a cushion used especially by tailors for pressing curved areas of garments
ham
verb
hammed;
hamming
Definition of ham (Entry 2 of 3)
: to execute with exaggerated speech or gestures : overact
ham it up for the camera
: to overplay a part
Ham
noun (2)
\ ˈham
\
\
Definition of Ham (Entry 3 of 3)
: a son of Noah held to be the progenitor of the Egyptians, Nubians, and Canaanites
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Examples of ham in a Sentence
Noun (1)
We're having ham for dinner. He was once a fine actor, but now he's just an old ham. Cameras bring out the ham in her.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The second course is a cold appetizer of Capicola ham, prosciutto and hard salami with assorted cheesed and accoutrements. — Sam Boyer, cleveland.com, "Community park gets a facelift: Whit & Whimsey," 6 Sep. 2019 The line was so long at Denny’s, one of the few places open, the diner had to turn people away at lunchtime and ran out of ham. — Gabrielle Russon, orlandosentinel.com, "Hurricane Dorian: Only dog shelter in New Smyrna Beach gets ready; residents wait for storm," 2 Sep. 2019 The Hawaiiana fared better, with its relatively simple, sweet-sour mix of ham and pineapple, was possible to pick up and had a good balance of flavors. — Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, "Hamburguesas el Gordo brings giant Mexican burgers to West St. Paul," 3 July 2019 Toss cucumber into carrots and spoon on top of ham. — The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Spicy Bánh Mì Wraps," 2 July 2019 That might explain why the villa’s bronzes include an exuberantly leaping piglet and a sundial in the form of a ham. — Peter Saenger, WSJ, "Preserved by a Fiery Disaster," 21 June 2019 Kirsty packed us a bag of ham sandwiches and apples for the drive back to Paris, and the first mate, Vincent, played the accordion. — Jo Rodgers, Condé Nast Traveler, "On the Slow Boat Through Burgundy: A Barge Trip in France," 3 July 2019 The new tariffs, which also target olives, ham and coffee as well as non-food items like copper products, follow on an April threat to add tariffs to $21 billion in EU imports. — Rachel Layne, CBS News, "U.S. threatens tariffs on European cheese over Airbus-Boeing case," 2 July 2019 In the chapter devoted to collards, the first recipe is collard greens with smoked ham hocks and picked collard green stems. — Shauna Stuart | [email protected], al.com, "Chef Todd Richards on empowering chefs to better understand soul food," 21 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Photos of Jay-Z hamming it up with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who many see as the face of Kaepernick’s blackball, were off-putting, to put it politely. — Jonathan Jones, SI.com, "The Sliver of Hope for Jay-Z’s NFL Ambitions," 21 Aug. 2019 Barry Anderson hams it up appropriately as the group’s producer, Bob Crewe, a fellow New Jersey native who was instrumental in the Four Seasons’ success. — Terry Byrne, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Jersey Boys’ has the hits, and a captivating story to tell, too," 12 Aug. 2019 For three years, critics have hammed him for not having better operational control over his empire. — Fred Vogelstein, WIRED, "Facebook Puts Its Stamp—and Name—on Instagram and WhatsApp," 2 Aug. 2019 Prince Louis was hamming it up for his aunt Meghan and cousin Archie while his mom beamed in the background. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Are Reportedly Bonding Over Motherhood," 17 July 2019 That’s not hamming it up for the camera; that’s all day, every day. — Adam Rapoport, Bon Appétit, "These Are the Simplest Recipes We’ve Published This Year," 16 July 2019 Joel Grey hammed it up with a Southern accent as Jeff Sessions, and Jason Alexander, just because, killed in a Chris Christie cameo. — Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker, "“It’s the End of My Presidency”: Movie Stars Channel Mueller," 1 July 2019 Developers Case Swenson and Chris Neale are also going to ham it up for the crowd, and comedian Will Durst will amp up the humor quotient. — Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, "San Jose’s iconic Dancing Pig sign restored to neon glory," 22 June 2019 The solution: combine the boys' limitless imaginations with their interest in art and fondness for hamming it up for the camera. — Julia M. Chan, CNN, "Brothers with special needs star in a world without limits," 14 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ham.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ham
ham
noun
English Language Learners Definition of ham
: meat from the leg of a hog that is often prepared by smoking or salting
disapproving
: a bad actor who performs in an exaggerated way
: someone who enjoys performing and who tends to behave in an exaggerated or playful way when people are watching
See the full definition for ham in the English Language Learners Dictionary
ham
noun
\ ˈham
\
\
Kids Definition of ham
1
: a cut of meat consisting of a thigh of pork
2
: an operator of an amateur radio station
3
: a showy performer
I know she likes attention, but what a ham!