cramming

verb

present participle of cram
1
as in squeezing
to fit (people or things) into a tight space tried to cram one more book into the backpack

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2
as in filling
to put into (something) as much as can be held or contained crammed his mouth with candy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in gorging
to fill with food to capacity one of those eating contests in which competitors attempt to cram themselves with as many hot dogs as they can in three minutes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in inhaling
to swallow or eat greedily the thoughtless guest crammed a dinner that had taken hours to prepare

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cramming The actress was surprised when, in her estimation, Jacobs was cramming more Boy Meets World into the follow-up show than she had been led to believe. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 2026 The roommates’ incompatible goals and perennial brokeness lead to side-splitting conflicts, with Shelby cramming for her GED while Kaitlin’s greatest ambition is to throw an epic island party. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026 The network had a two-way smuggling route between Algeria and Spain, transporting drugs to the African nation and cramming boats with migrants for the return trip to Spanish coastal towns, Spain’s Civil Guard said. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026 The situation is also symptomatic of broader strains on the country's higher education system, where grossly limited spots leave millions cramming for months, or even years, and high-stakes entrance exams leave many of them burnt out and in debt. — Sakshi Dayal, USA Today, 22 July 2026 An early 2022 op-ed in the University of Calgary’s student newspaper described the idea as the antithesis of hustle culture, one that finds satisfaction in mundane tasks rather than cramming productivity into every waking moment. — Allison Palmer july 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026 This is an impressive chip, cramming nearly 100 billion transistors onto a piece of silicon roughly the size of a fingernail. — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 The trip took 76 days, with van Dongen splitting time between hours on his bike and cramming into an RV in parks and towns around the country. — Kansas City Star, 24 June 2026 In recent weeks, NGOs helping the workers say the Cambodian authorities have stepped up detention of migrants for visa violations, cramming them in overcrowded detention facilities. — Shibani Mahtani, NPR, 21 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cramming
  1. squeezing
  2. filling
  3. gorging
  4. inhaling
  5. jamming
  6. packing
  7. devouring
  8. loading
Verb
  • In the distance, a toddler in a matching Nike outfit literally leaped into the arms of a crying woman, perhaps a grandmother, squeezing tightly for a hug.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The floods will likely change that outlook, squeezing a country that’s heavily dependent on tourism while forcing a costly period of reconstruction.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezing
Verb
  • Its buttery, flaky crust is finished with a traditional lattice design, allowing the bright cherry filling to peek through.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Memorial organizers have stood up a second wall nearby that is filling with names.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of filling
Verb
  • There will be title defenses from Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, who are the Michael Jordan and Diana Taurasi of gorging sausages.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • But gorging on pollen alone wasn’t enough to lengthen a life.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
Definition of gorging
Verb
  • And in the summer working, caring for the garden, cultivating my plants, my food, inhaling the sun, seeing my skin become brown just as the flowers are also growing their colours, and my beloved garden plants are delivering their brilliant food.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
  • More studies are showing the wide-ranging negative health impacts of inhaling wildfire smoke, which is especially toxic when blazes tear through urban areas and burn up household appliances, batteries and chemicals.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of inhaling
Verb
  • The idea came from a local band known as Hollyy that started jamming near Belmont Harbor last summer.
    — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Along with jamming out with Limbani, Lee also collaborated on a painting with the chimp, which sold at auction for $5,000, funds that will go to support Save the Chimps’ animals.
    — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of jamming
Verb
  • Some of the top documentary filmmakers in the world soon will be packing their bags for Toronto, preparing for a curtain call at one of the world’s most important cinematic events.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Weipz said the families of the victims had already been packing to head to Washington for the trial.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of packing
Verb
  • Raised in a working-class family in the English county of Essex, Jordan was a dedicated reader, who grew up devouring books by Jacqueline Wilson and Malorie Blackman.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The Milky Way has something of a torrid and violent history, given that our galaxy has fueled its own growth by cannibalistically devouring smaller galaxies.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of devouring
Verb
  • Writer Cassie Hurwitz tracked down the best moving companies, professional packers, and tips for loading everything into your new home.
    — Cassie Hurwitz, Curbed, 25 Aug. 2026
  • After loading the AliExpress homepage, audio from his phone stopped playing over his multipoint headphones, which accept connections from more than one device at a time.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of loading

Browse Nearby Words

crammed
cramming
cramp
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Cite this Entry

“Cramming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cramming. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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