spam

spam — noun

1. electronic messages, typically advertisements or promotions, that are sent in hu

1.nounB1
Definition

electronic messages, typically advertisements or promotions, that are sent in huge volumes to recipients who never requested them — for example, emails from unknown companies promising prizes or pushing products you never searched for.

Example

Zayd's email inbox was full of spam offering cheap watches and loans.

collocation: full of spam

The company installed a new filter to block spam before it reaches employees.

passive: block spam before it reaches

Common collocations
  • spam filter
  • spam folder
  • spam blocker
  • spam message
  • spam campaign
  • spam attack
Synonyms
  • junk mail

    broader term that includes unwanted physical postal mail as well as email

  • bulk email

    more neutral; can refer to legitimate mass emails that recipients have agreed to receive

Antonyms
  • ham

    internet slang for legitimate, wanted email messages

Grammar Patterns

spam + noun (e.g. spam email, spam filter)

uncountable: does not take 'a' or plural -s

Usage Note

Often used as an uncountable noun. It can also appear as a modifier before another noun, as in 'spam folder' or 'spam campaign'.

Common Mistakes

I received a spam in my inbox.
I received spam in my inbox.
Spam is uncountable; do not use 'a spam' or 'spams'.

2. a brand of cooked, processed meat, sold in a metal can and prepared chiefly from

2.nounB2
Definition

a brand of cooked, processed meat, sold in a metal can and prepared chiefly from ground pork that is pressed into a solid block — often sliced and fried or eaten cold in sandwiches.

Example

Paul fried slices of spam in a pan until they turned golden brown.

collocation: slices of spam

The camping trip menu included cans of spam and packets of instant noodles.

Common collocations
  • can of spam
  • tin of spam
  • slice of spam
  • spam musubi
  • spam sandwich
  • fried spam
Synonyms
  • luncheon meat

    the general category; less specific, refers to any processed meat in a can

  • canned ham

    similar product but usually made from whole ham pieces rather than ground pork

Grammar Patterns

can/tin of + spam

slice of + spam

Usage Note

This is a trademarked brand name (owned by Hormel Foods) but is often used generically to refer to any canned processed meat. Especially popular in Hawaii, Guam, and parts of East and Southeast Asia.

Common Mistakes

I bought two spams at the store.
I bought two cans of spam at the store.
Spam is uncountable; specify containers for quantities.

spam — verb

Word family

  • spammer
    nounB1
  • spamming
    nounB2
  • anti-spam
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Spam, junk mail, phishing, and bulk email all refer to unwanted electronic messages, but they differ in intent and scope. Spam is any unsolicited commercial email sent in large volumes — usually advertising products the recipient never asked about. Junk mail is a broader term that includes both email and physical postal advertisements; it focuses on the fact that the recipient finds it worthless rather than on how it was sent. Phishing is a specific type of scam email designed to trick recipients into revealing passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal information — it is spam with a fraudulent purpose. Bulk email simply means a message sent to many recipients at once; it can be legitimate (e.g., a newsletter you signed up for) or unwanted. So while all phishing emails are spam (if unsolicited), not all spam is phishing, and not all bulk email is spam. For example, an email from a store you visited offering a discount is bulk email, but it is not spam if you agreed to receive it.

spam ↗junk mailphishingbulk email

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • can of spam
  • spam folder
  • spam filter
  • anti-spam law

Prepositions

Etymology

English (brand name)English (internet slang)

The word 'spam' started as a brand name in 1937, short for 'spiced ham' — a canned pork product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation. The internet meaning comes from a 1970 Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy sketch in which a restaurant serves nothing but spam, and a group of Vikings repeatedly sings 'Spam, spam, spam, spam…' louder and louder, drowning out all other conversation. Early internet users in the 1980s and 1990s borrowed the term to describe flooding a chat room or forum with repeated messages, and it later spread to email and other digital platforms.