What does "gam" mean?
A person's leg, especially an attractive woman's leg.
Gam
/ɡæm/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person's leg, especially an attractive woman's leg.
- Grammar: gam is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ankle, army, bayonet legs, be closeted with.
- Usage evidence: In Moby Dick, the social conferencing of two whale ships on the open seas is called a "gam".
How to use "gam"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gam" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gam" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gam" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gam" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gam" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ankle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gam", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person's leg, especially an attractive woman's leg. dated, slang
"Make the salesclerk blush by flashing some gam and asking him to mix a bucket in your flesh tone."
- 2 Collective noun used to refer to a group of whales, or rarely also of porpoises; a pod.
"Upon getting into a "gam" of whales, this boat, together with that of one of the mates, pulled for a single whale that was seen at a distance from the others, and succeeded in getting square up to their victim unperceived."
- 3 Abbreviation of gynandromorph. abbreviation, alt-of
- 4 a herd of whales wordnet
- 5 A social gathering of whalers (whaling ships). broadly
"But what is a Gam? You might wear out your index-finger running up and down the columns of dictionaries, and never find the word, Dr. Johnson never attained to that erudition; Noah Webster’s ark does not hold it. Nevertheless, this same expressive word has now for many years been in constant use among some fifteen thousand true born Yankees. Certainly, it needs a definition, and should be incorporated into the Lexicon. With that view, let me learnedly define it. Gam. NOUN—A social meeting of two (or more) Whaleships, generally on a cruising-ground; when, after exchanging hails, they exchange visits by boats’ crews, the two captains remaining, for the time, on board of one ship, and the two chief mates on the other."
Verb
- 1 To pay a social visit on another ship at sea. ambitransitive
"Although most whalemen looked forward to gamming and enjoyed these ocean-borne gatherings, there were at least a few whalemen who either grew weary of them, or just weary of gamming so often with the same ships over and over."
- 2 To engage in social intercourse anywhere. US, dialectal
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"In Moby Dick, the social conferencing of two whale ships on the open seas is called a "gam"."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gam"?
Common synonyms include: ankle, army, bayonet legs, be closeted with, bowlegs, bunch.
How do you use "gam" in a sentence?
In Moby Dick, the social conferencing of two whale ships on the open seas is called a "gam".
How do you pronounce "gam"?
Pronounced /ɡæm/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Italian gamba (“leg”). Doublet of gamb, gamba, jamb, and jambe. Compare gammon and ham.
Etymology 2
Uncertain but surely formed within English; etymons may include game or gammon.