WordGarden.iolam
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /lˈæm/
US
- /ˈlæm/
Meanings
Noun
(slang)escape or fugitive flight, especially in the phrase on the lam
Verb
(informal)to hit or strike hard
Beyond the definition
In English, "lam" is mostly used in the phrase "on the lam." It means running away, especially from the police, or hiding after a crime. The tone is informal and often shows up in crime stories, old movies, and news-like writing with a dramatic feel.
You might read that a thief went "on the lam" after a robbery, or that a suspect stayed there for weeks before being caught. On its own, the word is rare. Most of the time, it appears as part of that fixed expression rather than as a general word for travel or movement.
"Lam" has a clear place in English, but it is narrow. In normal use, it almost always appears in the idiom "on the lam," which means escaping, hiding, or living as a fugitive after breaking the law. The phrase is informal, a little old-fashioned, and strongly tied to crime-related contexts. If someone says a person is "on the lam," the picture is not of a peaceful trip but of a hurried disappearance.
Because of that, this is not a word you usually use by itself in everyday conversation. Native speakers rarely say "he went on a lam" or "they planned a lam." They say "he is on the lam" or "she went on the lam." That fixed pattern matters. The word carries ideas of fear, pursuit, and temporary freedom, often with a dramatic or story-like tone.
There is also a separate Tibetan word, "lam," meaning "path" or "way" in religious writing, especially in discussions of Tibetan Buddhism. That sense is real, but it is not the usual English vocabulary meaning. For an English learner, the important point is simple: if you meet "lam" in ordinary English, it almost certainly refers to escaping from the law, usually in the phrase "on the lam."
Examples
- 1
Police search
The suspect was on the lam for three weeks before police found him.
- Phraseon the lam
hiding or running away from the police
- 2
Criminal escape
After the robbery, the two men went on the lam across the state.
- 3
Avoiding trouble
When the alarm went off, the boys decided to lam it before anyone saw them.
- Phraselam it
leave quickly, especially to avoid trouble
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- lamnounverb
Forms
- lamsverbnoun
- lamming-ing formverbnoun
- lammedpast tenseverbnoun