ramrod

[ ram-rod ]

noun
  1. a rod for ramming down the charge of a muzzleloading firearm.

  2. a cleaning rod for the barrel of a firearm.

  1. a strict disciplinarian; martinet.

verb (used with object),ram·rod·ded, ram·rod·ding.
  1. to exert discipline and authority on.

  2. to strike or injure with or as if with a ramrod.

  1. to accomplish or put into action by force, intimidation, etc.: to ramrod a bill through Congress.

Origin of ramrod

1
First recorded in 1750–60; ram1 + rod

Words Nearby ramrod

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ramrod in a sentence

  • Ye–es,” said the lad, wincing; “just as if some one was boring a hole through my shoulder with a red-hot ramrod.

    !Tention | George Manville Fenn
  • “Yes, we have got the guns,” said the boy; and he unslung the one he carried and began to try the charge with the ramrod.

    !Tention | George Manville Fenn
  • Bones, standing as stiff as a ramrod before the office table at which his superior sat, saluted.

British Dictionary definitions for ramrod

ramrod

/ (ˈræmˌrɒd) /


noun
  1. a rod for cleaning the barrel of a rifle or other small firearms

  2. a rod for ramming in the charge of a muzzle-loading firearm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012