Meaning & use
ream
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Meanings
verbtransitiveinformalAmerican
To scold or criticize someone harshly and for a long time, usually because of a mistake they made.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually with out: the coach reamed out the players.
Patterns
- ream someone out
- ream someone out for something
My boss reamed me out for missing the deadline.
The coach reamed out the whole team after the lazy first half.
She got reamed in front of everyone for forgetting the keys.
verbtransitivetechnical
To make a hole wider or smoother by turning a special cutting tool inside it.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with out: ream out the pipe.
Patterns
- ream something out
- ream a hole to size
The machinist reamed the hole until the bolt fit exactly.
You must ream out the end of the pipe after cutting it.
He reamed the barrel to remove the rough edge left by drilling.
nouncountable
A quantity of paper, traditionally five hundred sheets; in the plural, informally, a very large amount of writing.
Grammar: Singular for the paper unit; the plural reams is common for any huge amount: reams of notes.
Patterns
- a ream of something
- reams of something
We ordered a ream of printer paper for the office.
She wrote reams of notes before the exam.
The lawyers produced reams of documents for the trial.
Word forms
| third person singular | reams |
|---|---|
| past tense | reamed |
| past participle | reamed |
| -ing form | reaming |
| plural | reams |
Common combinations
- ream someone out
- Her manager reamed her out for sending the wrong file.
- get reamed
- I got reamed by my landlord for the noise.
- ream a hole
- He reamed the hole slightly wider so the pin would slide in.
- a ream of paper
- The printer ran out after half a ream of paper.
- reams of
- The report contained reams of statistics nobody read.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chew out
- Chew out is almost identical in tone but a little more common in everyday American speech, whereas ream out can sound slightly stronger.
- scold
- Scold is neutral and works for mild telling-off, while ream suggests a long, harsh lecture.
- berate
- Berate is more formal and literary, while ream is casual speech.
- dress down
- Dress down suggests a severe reprimand from someone in authority, while ream does not require the speaker to hold rank.
Opposites
Word family
- reamer noun
- a tool used to enlarge or finish a drilled hole
- reaming noun
- the process of widening a hole, or informally a harsh scolding
- reamed-out adjective
- describing a hole that has been widened, or informally a person who has been scolded
Practice
My manager ___ me out in front of the whole team for forgetting the client call.
Choose one answer.
Ream out is the informal phrase for scolding someone harshly. Reared, rimmed, and rinsed do not form a phrasal verb with out meaning to scold.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ream”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.