perm

¹ American  

[purm] / pɜrm /

noun

1. permanent.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give (the hair) a permanent.

verb (used without object)

1. to apply a permanent to the hair.

Perm ² American  

[purm, pairm, pyerm] / pɜrm, pɛərm, pyɛrm /

noun

1. a city in the E Russian Federation in Europe, on the Kama River.

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perm ¹ British  

/ pɜːm /

noun

1. Also called (esp formerly): permanent wave.  a hairstyle produced by treatment with heat, chemicals, etc which gives long-lasting waves, curls, or other shaping

2. the act of giving or receiving such a hairstyle

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verb

1. (tr) to give a perm to (hair)

Perm ² British  

/ pjermj /

noun

1. Former name (1940–62): Molotov.  a port in W Russia, on the Kama River: oil refinery; university (1916). Pop: 984 000 (2005 est)

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perm ³ British  

/ pɜːm /

noun

1. short for permutation

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Etymology

Origin of perm

First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening

Example Sentences

A male friend recently asked Caruso Sichenzia whether he should get a perm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Backed by dancers dressed as rodeo clowns, Roan - herself wearing a sequinned cowboy hat and sparkly boots - rode a a giant pink carousel pony, complete with an 80s perm.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2025

James Austin Johnson returned for a brief Trump impression, in which he extolled the virtues of the just shut down video app TikTok and praised Mark Zuckerberg’s perm and chain.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2025

Matt Gaetz would lose a fistfight to Rand Paul’s hair perm.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2024

His friend’s girlfriend had given him a home perm.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides