1
: a quantity of paper being 20 quires or variously 480, 500, or 516 sheets
2
: a great amount
—usually used in plural
reams of information
reamed; reaming; reams
1
a
: to widen the opening of (a hole) : countersink
b(1)
: to enlarge, shape, or smooth out (a hole) with a reamer
(2)
: to enlarge the bore of (something, such as a gun) in this way
c
: to remove by reaming
2
a
: to press out with a reamer
b
: to press out the juice of (a fruit, such as an orange) with a reamer
4
: reprimand
—often used with out
reams out his players so severely—
Alexander Wolff
Alexander WolffSynonyms
Noun
- abundance
- barrel
- basketful
- boatload
- bucket
- bunch
- bundle
- bushel
- carload
- chunk
- deal
- dozen
- fistful
- gobs
- good deal
- heap
- hundred
- lashings [chiefly British]
- lashins
- loads
- lot
- mass
- mess
- mountain
- much
- multiplicity
- myriad
- oodles
- pack
- passel
- peck
- pile
- plateful
- plenitude
- plentitude
- plenty
- pot
- potful
- profusion
- quantity
- raft
- scads
- sheaf
- shipload
- sight
- slew
- spate
- stack
- store
- ton
- truckload
- volume
- wad
- wealth
- yard
Verb
Examples of ream in a Sentence
Noun
I have reams of paperwork to do before I can leave today
Verb
He got reamed in the press for his comments.
reamed a whole new generation of suckers with a variation of the Ponzi scheme
Recent Examples on the Web
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024
Panigrahi points to the reams of data Waymo publishes on its accident rates relative to human drivers; the company is aggressively transparent on this front, disclosing even more data than regulators require.
—Wired Staff, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2024
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2024
But when you get reamed in a sketch or online or however, that s—t staaaangs.
—Dan Heching, CNN, 29 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ream 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The move had been trailed for a little while but this didn’t seem to soften the blow, with insiders on both sides noting the ream of unanswered questions that the spin-off has posed (CNBC anchors even used their own shows to query what will happen to their network).
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024
Panigrahi points to the reams of data Waymo publishes on its accident rates relative to human drivers; the company is aggressively transparent on this front, disclosing even more data than regulators require.
—Wired Staff, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
Alongside his fellow guest, Finneas, Koch provided out-of-pocket soundbites, reamed out some former enemies, and was generally just on one.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2024
But when you get reamed in a sketch or online or however, that s—t staaaangs.
—Dan Heching, CNN, 29 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ream
Articles Related to ream
Dictionary Entries Near ream
Cite this Entry
“Ream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ream. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ream
1 of 2 noun1
: a quantity of paper that may equal 480, 500, or 516 sheets
2
: a great amount
—usually used in plural
reams of notes
ream
2 of 2 verb
: to shape, make larger, or smooth out with a reamer
Etymology
Noun
Middle English reme "a quantity of paper," from early French reme (same meaning), from Arabic rizma, literally, "bundle"
Verb
probably from Old English rēman "to open up"
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