am

[ am; unstressed uhm, m ]

verb
  1. 1st person singular present indicative of be.

Origin of am

1
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

Words Nearby am

Other definitions for Am (2 of 7)

Am

Symbol, Chemistry.
  1. americium.

Other definitions for AM (3 of 7)

AM

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.

  1. of, relating to, or utilizing such a system.: Compare FM

  2. Asian male.

Origin of AM

3
First recorded in 1935–40

Other definitions for a.m. (4 of 7)

a.m.

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.?

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

Origin of a.m.

4
From Latin ante merīdiem

usage note For a.m.

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.

Other definitions for A/m (5 of 7)

A/m

  1. ampere per meter.

Other definitions for Am. (6 of 7)

Am.

abbreviation
  1. America.

  2. American.

Other definitions for A.M. (7 of 7)

A.M.

abbreviation
  1. Master of Arts.

Origin of A.M.

7
(def. 2) from Latin Artium Magister

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use am in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for am (1 of 8)

am1

verb(æm, unstressed əm)
  1. (used with I) a form of the present tense (indicative mood) of be 1

Origin of am

1
Old English eam; related to Old Norse em, Gothic im, Old High German bim, Latin sum, Greek eimi, Sanskrit asmi

British Dictionary definitions for am (2 of 8)

am2

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (3 of 8)

am3

the internet domain name for
  1. Armenia

British Dictionary definitions for Am (4 of 8)

Am

the chemical symbol for
  1. americium

British Dictionary definitions for AM (5 of 8)

AM

abbreviation for
  1. associate member

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

  1. Albert Medal

  2. US Master of Arts

  3. Also: am amplitude modulation

  4. See a.m.

  5. Member of the Order of Australia

  6. Armenia (international car registration)

British Dictionary definitions for a.m. (6 of 8)

a.m.

abbreviation for(indicating the time period from midnight to midday)
  1. ante meridiem: Compare p.m.

Origin of a.m.

6
Latin: before noon

British Dictionary definitions for Am. (7 of 8)

Am.

abbreviation for
  1. America(n)

British Dictionary definitions for A/M (8 of 8)

A/M

abbreviation for(in Canada)
  1. Air Marshal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Am (1 of 2)

Am

Scientific definitions for AM (2 of 2)

AM

  1. Abbreviation of amplitude modulation

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.