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Glite Dictionary
to lam into

to lam into

9.9
To hit someone or something violently, often by running into them
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : atacar
  • He suddenly lammed into the punching bag, surprising everyone in the gym.

Examples

  • Two kids got in trouble for lamming into each other on the playground.

  • The coach yelled at his players not to lam into the opponents during the match.

  • Don't lam into me like that!

  • Why did he lam into the poor guy?

  • When he saw the team cheating, he decided to lam into them for their unfair tactics.

  • She was so angry that she wanted to lam into the person who cut her off in traffic.

  • The coach promised to lam into the players if they didn't improve their performance.

Synonyms

to hit
vsto lam into
∞ 1.0

To strike someone or something with force

is violent hitting specifically meaning an attack rather than neutral contact
to strike
vsto lam into
553 2.4

To hit someone or something with force

involves violent hitting intended as attack rather than neutral contact
to slap
vsto lam into
492 1.0

Hit quickly with the flat part of the hand

is violent hitting used broadly not only for quick flat hand blows
to punch
vsto lam into
455 1.4

To hit someone or something quickly with a closed fist

is violent hitting but less specific about using a fist
to smack
vsto lam into
164 3.5

To hit someone or something with an open hand

is violent hitting but is less specific about hand use
to jump
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
134 6.0

To suddenly attack someone often without warning

is violent hitting that does not focus on suddenness
to assault
vsto lam into
126 4.7

To attack someone physically or try to hurt them

focuses on physical violent hitting rather than emotional attack
to bash
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
73 2.9

To hit someone or something very hard

is violent hitting that may be less extreme in force
to whop
vsto lam into
  • Informal
43 7.9

To hit someone or something very hard

is violent hitting but not necessarily very heavy or repeated
to bludgeon
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
23 8.8

To hit someone repeatedly with a heavy stick or club

is violent hitting that does not require a heavy weapon
to clobber
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
19 7.7

To hit someone or something very hard many times

refers to violent hitting without implying repeated strikes
to assail
vsto lam into
  • Formal
16 8.0

To attack violently, upset someone deeply or criticize them strongly

centers on physical violent hitting rather than other attack types
to bash in
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
13 7.5

Hit something hard so it breaks or opens

is violent hitting but not limited to causing severe damage
to slug
vsto lam into
  • Informal
10 4.6

To hit someone or something very hard, often with the fist

describes violent hitting without naming the precise instrument
to thrash
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
7 6.5

Hit someone hard, often as punishment or in a fight

is broader, covering violent hitting not only punishment
to tear into
vsto lam into
  • Informal
4 7.4

To attack or criticize someone strongly

is about physical violent hitting rather than energetic criticism
to strike hard
vsto lam into
3 3.7

Hit someone or something very hard

is violent hitting but not limited to a single sharp blow
to wallop
vsto lam into
  • Informal
2 7.3

To hit something or someone very hard

is violent hitting but can be more general than a blunt blow
to swack
vsto lam into
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To hit someone or something hard

represents violent hitting generally rather than emphasizing a single blow
to lay into
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
1 7.5

Hit someone or something hard and violently

has identical meaning but differs in wording
to whomp
vsto lam into
  • Informal
1 8.6

To hit forcefully with the hand or a flat object

is violent hitting without limiting the implement used
to baste
vsto lam into
  • Offensive
1 9.5

To hit someone repeatedly and very hard

describes violent hitting without stressing repeated beating
to smash someone's face in
vsto lam into
  • Offensive
1 9.8

Hit someone in the face very hard to hurt them

refers to violent attack more generally not limited to facial harm
to lam
vsto lam into
  • Informal
9.9

To hit someone or something very hard, often many times

refers to violent hitting but not necessarily repeated
to knock the living daylights out of
vsto lam into
  • Offensive
9.9

To hit someone very hard or to shock someone very much

describes violent hitting but adds extreme severity or shock
to whang
vsto lam into
  • Informal
9.9

To hit something hard so it makes a loud sound

is violent hitting but does not require a noisy impact
to lambast
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
8.8

To hit someone many times with a stick

is violent hitting but not focused on a specific cane instrument
to bash someone's face in
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
9.9

To hit someone's face very hard to hurt them

is violent hitting that applies more broadly than facial attacks
to lace into
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
8.5

Criticize or attack someone strongly

focuses on physical violent hitting rather than verbal attack
to pitch into
vsto lam into
  • NSFW
7.8

To attack someone with your body or with strong words

is mainly used for physical violent hitting rather than verbal attack

Antonyms

to protect
∞ 1.0

To keep someone or something safe from harm

to defend
∞ 1.3

To protect people and things from attack or harm

How Violent

to assault
126 4.7
to lam into
  • Informal
9.9
to beat up
  • Offensive
271 4.1
to hit
∞ 1.0
tap
66 1.0

Surface Forms

lam into infinitive
lammed into past
lammed into past participle
lamming into present participle
lams into third person singular

Morphology

lam + into

The meaning 'to hit or attack violently' follows directly from combining 'lam' (to deliver heavy blows) with 'into' (indicating direction/target), so the overall sense is compositional. This verb + preposition/particle pattern is a common English construction, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the idiom's meaning.

Etymology

Lam into may come from old slang lam meaning 'to hit' and the image of moving into someone to hit them. That's why lam into now means 'to hit or attack someone violently'.