English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
Login Flashcards
verb Common

Sam

SAM
Quiz me More like this

Sam (verb) means (dialectal) To gather or bring together; to assemble. Example: “The old farmer used to sam the herd before nightfall.”

verb
1
(dialectal) To gather or bring together; to assemble.
"The old farmer used to sam the herd before nightfall."
2
(dialectal) To bring together in marriage or friendship; to join.
"The two families were sammed by a wedding that summer."
adj
1
(dialectal) Half-done or only partly finished.
"The bread came out sam because the oven wasn't hot enough."

How to use Sam

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA now-rare dialect word (chiefly English regional speech) meaning to gather people or things together, or, as an adjective, "half-done."

When to use it

This is dialectal/archaic usage — in everyday modern English "Sam" is almost always just the given name (short for Samuel or Samantha).

Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like Sam.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice

Word forms

Plural
Sams
Third person singular
sams
Past tense
sammed
Test yourself on “Sam” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The old farmer used to _____ the herd before nightfall.

Etymology

From Old English samnian ("to gather, bring together"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to gather" — related to the "same" family of words.

Origin: Old English

Synonyms

View more →
gather collect assemble bring together round up gather up amass

Related words

make group meet break build piece join receive

Frequently asked questions

What does “Sam” mean?
The word “Sam” means (dialectal) To gather or bring together; to assemble. In plain terms, a now-rare dialect word (chiefly English regional speech) meaning to gather people or things together, or, as an adjective, "half-done.".
How do you pronounce “Sam”?
“Sam” is pronounced SAM (/ˈsæm/ in IPA).
How do you use “Sam” in a sentence?
Here is “Sam” used in a sentence: “The old farmer used to sam the herd before nightfall.”
What part of speech is “Sam”?
Depending on how it is used, “Sam” can be a verb and an adjective.
Where does the word “Sam” come from?
The word “Sam” comes from Old English. From Old English samnian ("to gather, bring together"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to gather" — related to the "same" family of words.
Is “Sam” a common word?
“Sam” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “Sam” have?
“Sam” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: (dialectal) To gather or bring together; to assemble.
What does 'sam' mean as a verb?
As a dialect verb, to sam means to gather, collect or bring things together into one place. It often appears as 'sam up', as in samming up the washing or samming up scattered tools. The sense is one of pulling separate items together, and it is rarely heard outside regional English.
Where is the word 'sam' used?
It survives mainly in northern English and Scots dialect, where 'sam up' has long meant to gather or tidy things together. Because it is regional rather than standard English, you are unlikely to meet it in formal writing, but it still turns up in local speech and older rural expressions.

Featured in

Vocabulary lists that include Sam:

3 letter words Words that end with M Words that start with S The 5000 most common English words

People also searched

make group meet break build piece join receive