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
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 | Sstuart@al.com, al.com, "Chef Todd Richards on empowering chefs to better understand soul food," 21 June 2019 Princess Charlotte: Will and Kate's daughter Princess Charlotte was a total ham on the balcony this year, waving with both hands at the crowds below. 14. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Which Members of the Royal Family Were on the Buckingham Palace Balcony for Trooping the Colour?," 10 June 2019 Enjoy a family-style ham or turkey feast at Bob Evans or in the comfort of your home. — Sarah Schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "20 Restaurants That Will Stay Open on Easter Sunday," 12 Mar. 2019 Chely sings under her breath, while tearing pieces off of a ham sandwich for Mayte. — Liliana Frankel, Teen Vogue, "A Day in the Life of the Migrant Caravan," 16 Nov. 2018 The menu will feature ham, baked beans, potato salad and peach shortcake. — courant.com, "Community News For The Vernon Edition," 8 Aug. 2019 Bacon, gruyère and caramelized onion quiche tastes altogether authentic as does the croque madame on brioche, with ham, creamy Comté mornay and sunny-side-up egg. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "We hate brunch. But we love these 10 brunch spots," 8 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
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 2019 The women held hands and hammed it up for the cameras. — Lindzi Scharf, latimes.com, "Olivia Wilde, Storm Reid and more toast Face of the Future honoree Elizabeth Debicki," 12 June 2019 Frances McDormand McDormand was an absolute delight on the carpet, writhing around and hamming it up in her similarly bizarre-but-brilliant Valentino look. — Maeve Mcdermott, USA TODAY, "Met Gala 2018: The most extra celebrity looks, from Sarah Jessica Parker to Katy Perry," 8 May 2018 Those figures suggest Chuying isn’t hamming this up. — Jacky Wong, WSJ, "Buy a Bond in China, Get Some Pork in Return," 9 Nov. 2018 Residents are urged to plan ahead and take precaution in the event of a fast-moving storm suddenly hamming the area. — Justin L. Mack, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis weather: Heat advisory in effect for 4th of July," 2 July 2018These 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!