Spam

[ spam ]

Trademark.

1. a canned food product consisting especially of pork formed into a solid block.

noun

1. (lowercase) Digital Technology. disruptive online messages, especially commercial messages posted on a computer network or sent as email (often used attributively):

   Install spam blocker software and keep your email spam filters updated to protect your accounts from unsolicited spam.

adjective

1. (lowercase) Digital Technology. (of promotional content on the internet) irrelevant or misdirected:

   The search engine delivered spam websites that had nothing to do with my keywords.

verb (used with object)

, spammed, spam·ming.

1. (lowercase) Digital Technology. to send spam to.
2. (lowercase) Digital Technology. to execute (an action) or use (an item) rapidly or repeatedly in a video game:

   Spam the attack button as soon as the fight begins.

verb (used without object)

, spammed, spam·ming.

1. (lowercase) Digital Technology. to send spam.

spam

¹

/ spæm /

verb

1. to send unsolicited electronic mail or text messages simultaneously to a number of e-mail addresses or mobile phones

noun

1. unsolicited electronic mail or text messages sent in this way

Spam

²

/ spæm /

noun

1. a kind of tinned luncheon meat, made largely from pork

spam

1. Unsolicited, undesired e-mail . Also used as a verb. Spam is the e-mail version of junk mail.

Notes

The name comes from a Monty Python comedy skit about a restaurant that served only Spam.

Derived Forms

• ˈspammer, noun

Other Words From

• spammer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Spam¹

First recorded in 1937 for the trademarked term; sp(iced) + (h)am ¹; 1990–95 for the other senses, probably referring to a comedy routine on Monty Python's Flying Circus, British TV series, in which the word Spam is used repeatedly

Word History and Origins

Origin of Spam¹

C20: from the repeated use of the word Spam in a popular sketch from the British television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, first broadcast in 1969

Example Sentences

Two weeks ago, spam text messages started pinging the mobile phones of Hong Kong residents associated with the protests.

From The Daily Beast

Spam, squirt guns, earthworms, pirate costumes—stuff like that.

From The Daily Beast

Perhaps the most curious dish available for breakfast, listed on the menu as "Everyone's Favorite," is Spam and eggs.

From The Daily Beast

“There are plenty of companies that are more than happy to spam and scam customers with bare-minimum products,” McEwen says.

From The Daily Beast

APN will not send you any other content—no spam, no solicitation.

From The Daily Beast

This is called a "word frequency histogram" and it tells you what the probability is that any bag of words is likely to be spam.

From Project Gutenberg

Darryl and I once tried to write our own better spam filter and when you filter spam, you need Bayesian math.

From Project Gutenberg

Now, take a ton of email that's not spam -- in the biz, they call that "ham" -- and do the same.

From Project Gutenberg

You take every word that's in the spam and count how many times it appears.

From Project Gutenberg

If it turns out to be spam, you adjust the "spam" histogram accordingly.

From Project Gutenberg