WordGarden.ioream
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /rˈiːm/
US
- /ˈrim/
Meanings
Noun
a quantity of paper, traditionally 500 sheets
Verb
(informal)to scold or criticize someone very harshly
to widen or finish a hole with a reamer
Beyond the definition
You may not think about it, but when you buy printer paper, you often buy it in reams. Today, a ream usually means a pack of 500 sheets of paper. The word can also mean a large amount of something, as in "reams of data" or "a ream of notes." In both cases, it gives the sense of a big, packed-together amount.
A ream is best known as a unit for paper. In modern use, it usually means 500 sheets, though older systems sometimes counted 480 sheets instead. The word comes from the Arabic rizmah, meaning a bundle, and passed into English through Old French. It is still the usual word for a wrapped pack of office paper and for paper counted in bulk.
But the word also works as a verb. In technical use, to ream means to widen or smooth out a hole with a tool called a reamer. It can also mean to squeeze juice from citrus fruit with a reamer.
In informal speech, ream can also refer to a harsh verbal attack, especially in the phrase "ream someone out." If a boss reams someone out, they scold them very severely. So the word can point to a literal pack of paper, a large amount of something, the act of widening a hole, or a strong scolding.
Examples
- 1
Office supplies
I bought a ream of printer paper for the office.
- Phrasea ream of paper
500 sheets of paper
- 2
School supplies
The school gets through several reams of paper every month.
- 3
Meeting notes
She arrived at the meeting with reams of notes.
- Patternreams of + written material
a very large amount of written material
- 4
Workplace scolding
My boss reamed me out for missing the deadline.
- Patternream someone out
speak to someone very angrily
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- reamnounverb
Forms
- reamspluralnounverb
- reamedpast tenseverbnoun
- reaming-ing formverbnoun