lam

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /læm/ UK /læm/ See IPA manual

Homophones

lamb /læm/

Meanings

1

verb
to escape or flee, especially from the law or a dangerous situation

He went on the lam after the robbery.
2

verb
to beat or thrash soundly

They threatened to lam him if he didn't pay up.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to escape or flee,... escape bolthightail itskedaddle run away

2 verb · to beat or thrash soundly thrash clobber wallopdrubtrounce

Opposites

stay remain

Simplified etymology

Lam originally meant “beat soundly” and is recorded from the late 16th century, probably with a Scandinavian origin. The American expression on the lam, meaning “in flight,” developed from it in the late 19th century.

Etymology

Origin uncertain; the verb appears in English slang meaning "to flee" (chiefly in the phrase "on the lam") and, separately, "to beat soundly," possibly from a Scandinavian source meaning to strike.

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# lam

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /læm/
**IPA (UK):** /læm/

## Meanings
1. to escape or flee, especially from the law or a dangerous situation
2. to beat or thrash soundly

## Examples
- He went on the lam after the robbery.
- They threatened to lam him if he didn't pay up.

## Synonyms
- escape
- bolt
- hightail it
- skedaddle
- run away
- thrash
- clobber
- wallop
- drub
- trounce

## Antonyms
- stay
- remain

## Etymology
Origin uncertain; the verb appears in English slang meaning "to flee" (chiefly in the phrase "on the lam") and, separately, "to beat soundly," possibly from a Scandinavian source meaning to strike.

## AI Etymology
Lam is of uncertain origin; the verb appears in English slang meaning "to flee" (chiefly in the phrase "on the lam") and, separately, "to beat soundly," possibly from a Scandinavian source meaning to strike. In current use it is a verb meaning "to escape or flee, especially from the law or a dangerous situation". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The uncertainty belongs to the etymology itself and should be kept: the older ancestry is not presented as more secure than it is. The safest dictionary treatment is to keep the secure forms and the uncertainty together, since the doubtful step is part of the word's history rather than a gap to fill by guesswork.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

markdown

lam