ham

/hæm/
noun
  1. Meat from the upper part of a pig's leg, often salted or smoked.
    • The deli counter sells both smoked and honey-cured ham.
    • For Easter dinner, we baked a glazed ham with pineapple.
    • I made a sandwich with sliced ham and cheese.
  2. An actor who performs in an exaggerated, theatrical style.
    • The old movie star was a real ham, always overacting every scene.
    • Critics called him a ham, but audiences loved his dramatic gestures.
    • In the school play, Tom played the villain like a classic ham.
  3. An amateur radio operator.
    • During the storm, local hams helped relay emergency messages.
    • My uncle is a ham and talks to people all over the world on his radio.
    • She got her ham license last year and now has a radio setup in her garage.
Synonyms
verb
  1. To act in an exaggerated or over-the-top way, especially to get attention or laughs.
    • Whenever a camera is pointed at him, he starts hamming for attention.
    • The comedian hammed it up for the crowd, making everyone roar with laughter.
    • She hammed her way through the scene, adding silly faces and big gestures.
Synonyms
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