verb

Sam

SAM

verb

(dialectal) To gather or bring together; to assemble.

"The old farmer used to sam the herd before nightfall."

(dialectal) To bring together in marriage or friendship; to join.

"The two families were sammed by a wedding that summer."

adj

(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).

Word Forms

sammed past tense, Sams plural, Sams plural, sams plural, sams singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

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.

Rhymes for Sam

flotsam

See all rhymes for Sam →