am

¹ American  

[am, uhm, m] / æm, əm, m /

verb

1. 1st person singular present indicative of be.

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Am ² American  

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. americium.

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AM ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Electronics. amplitude modulation: a method of impressing a signal on a radio carrier wave by varying its amplitude.

2. Radio. a system of broadcasting by means of amplitude modulation.

3. of, relating to, or utilizing such a system.

4. Asian male.

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Am. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. America.

2. American.

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A/m ⁵ American  

1. ampere per meter.

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a.m. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. before noon.

2. the period from midnight to noon, especially the period of daylight prior to noon.

   Shall we meet Saturday a.m.?

3. a morning newspaper, sometimes issued shortly before midnight.

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A.M. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. a.m.

2. Master of Arts.

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AM ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. associate member

2. Assembly Member (of the National Assembly of Wales)

3. Albert Medal

4. Master of Arts

5. Also: am.  amplitude modulation

6. See a.m.

7. Member of the Order of Australia

8. Armenia (international car registration)

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a.m. ² British  

abbreviation

1. ante meridiem Compare p.m.

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Am ³ British  

symbol

1. americium

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am ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. See AM

2. See a.m.

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am ⁵ British  

abbreviation

1. Armenia

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am ⁶ British  

verb

1. (used with I) a form of the present tense (indicative mood) of be 1

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Am. ⁷ British  

abbreviation

1. America(n)

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A/M ⁸ British  

abbreviation

1. Air Marshal

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AM Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of amplitude modulation

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Usage

The abbreviation a.m. for Latin ante merīdiem, meaning “before noon,” refers to the period from midnight until noon. One minute before noon is 11:59 a.m. One minute after noon is 12:01 p.m. Many people distinguish between noon and midnight by saying 12 noon and 12 midnight. Expressions combining a.m. with morning ( 6 a.m. in the morning ) and p.m. with afternoon, evening, or night ( 9 p.m. at night ) are redundant and occur most often in casual speech and writing. Both a.m. and p.m. sometimes appear in capital letters, especially in printed matter.

Etymology

Origin of am¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English am, eam, eom; cognate with Gothic im, Old Norse, Armenian em, Old Irish am (from unattested esmi ), Attic Greek eimí, Aeolic Greek émmi, Doric Greek ēmí (all from prehistoric Greek esmi ), Hittite esmi, early Lithuanian esmì, Old Church Slavonic yesmĭ, Albanian jam (from unattested esmi ), Sanskrit ásmi, from unattested Proto-Indo-European ésmi, from root es- “to be” + -m 1st person singular + -i, present-time marker; cf. is

Origin of AM³

First recorded in 1935–40

Origin of a.m.⁶

From Latin ante merīdiem

Origin of A.M.⁷

A.M. ( def. 2 ) from Latin Artium Magister

Example Sentences

By way of background, I’m planning to transition into retirement around 60 and am primarily focused on the 60-70 “bridge period.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 19, 2026

“I think the constant uncertainty, particularly when it’s something as important as ‘How am I going to feed my family?

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

"I've really been surrounded by all three cultures. It's shaped me into the person and driver I am today," he says.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Tan said that as an author, “I imagine the lives of the people I write about,” and that act of compassion “reflects our politics and our beliefs. And so yes, I am a political writer.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

“What am I supposed to do, babysit her?”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• dawn