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

The painting “Actual Size” features a can of Spam rocketing across the canvas, trailing flames amid a shower of splattered blue paint.

From Los Angeles Times

The maker of Spam canned ham, Dinty Moore stew and other foods gave investors a weak profit forecast.

From Seattle Times

Spam is still spam regardless of whether it’s legal or not.

From Seattle Times

They set up a network of relief hubs in parks and front yards offering displaced residents fresh water, cans of Spam, and bags of rice, diapers and medicine.

From Los Angeles Times

The maker of Spam canned ham, Dinty Moore stew and other foods trimmed its profit forecast for the year.

From Seattle Times