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to ram home

to ram home

7.4
To say something clearly and strongly so people understand it
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : dejar claro
  • During the meeting, the manager rammed home the deadline, ensuring everyone understood it was non-negotiable.

And I just keep ramming home the phrase that this, this is not, nothing's guaranteed that you have to make the most of this.

Examples

  • And I just keep ramming home the phrase that this, this is not, nothing's guaranteed that you have to make the most of this.

  • He rammed home the importance of safety by sharing personal stories from his career in construction.

  • The CAGW loonies continually ram their fraudulent message home, and unless the truth is rammed home with the same strength and frequency, most of the world will just keep on accepting the lies of these nutters.

    Blog text (19)
  • The teacher made it clear that cheating would not be tolerated; she really rammed home the message during the lecture.

Synonyms

to make oneself clear
vsto ram home
545 3.4

Say something so other people understand what you mean

relies on tough emphasis to force understanding rather than simple clarity
to spell out
vsto ram home
79 3.5

To explain something clearly and in detail

uses forceful emphasis rather than detailed step by step explanation
to drive home
vsto ram home
27 4.0

To make a point very clear by saying it strongly

uses blunt forceful emphasis to ensure understanding
to hammer home
vsto ram home
6 4.4

To make an idea very clear by repeating it

stresses forceful single emphasis rather than repeated restatement
to press home
vsto ram home
6.1

Make a point strongly so other people understand or accept it

is more about making meaning clear through blunt emphasis

Antonyms

266 1.9

Make someone unable to think clearly or make something hard to understand

86 7.0

Make something hard to see or understand

How Emphatic

to ram home
  • UK
7.4
to emphasize
  • US
397 3.7
to state
1.6
to mention
1.0

Surface Forms

ram home infinitive
rammed home past participle
ramming home present participle
rams home third person singular

Morphology

ram + home

The verb 'ram' (to force) combined with 'home' (as in 'bring home' meaning to make something understood) gives a clear forceful image, so a learner who knows both words could plausibly infer the sense 'emphasize forcefully'. However, the use of 'home' in this abstract sense and the collocational nuance of 'ram home' is somewhat metaphorical and idiomatic, so the exact meaning and register are not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

The verb ram home comes from the picture of pushing something hard into place, for example driving a nail home with a heavy tool or using a ram to force a post in. So, it now means 'make someone understand something very clearly by saying it strongly or often'.