What does reaming mean?
Reaming most commonly means scolding or reprimanding someone forcefully, as in “Stop reaming him out and explain the problem.” It is especially common in informal British and American speech, though its force can range from a vigorous telling-off to a sustained verbal attack. The related noun, a reaming, denotes the reprimand itself. Reaming also has a specialized technical meaning: boring, enlarging, or finishing a hole with a reamer, a tool used to bring a hole to its required size. This technical sense differs from the dramatic social sense of the word, although both involve forceful action. As a verb, reaming is the present participle of ream, with reamed and reams as related forms. Historically, the word belongs to an Old English Germanic family associated with ramming or battering, rather than to the unrelated paper measure spelled ream. For general readers, reaming is chiefly useful as a vivid, slightly informal term for an angry and detailed telling-off.
To scold or reprimand someone forcefully; berate. In machining, to bore, enlarge, or finish a hole, typically with a reamer.
"The director reamed the performers out for missing rehearsal."
The scolding sense is chiefly informal. The machining sense is technical.
A forceful reprimand or act of scolding; also, in technical usage, the process of reaming a hole.
"The team received a stern reaming after the defeat."
The social or critical meaning is usually found in the singular phrase “a reaming.”
Plurals are uncommon; the singular “a reaming” is the usual nominal form.
"The player received repeated reamings from the coach."
The scolding in “reaming” shares no origin with the ream of paper sitting beside it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reaming come from?
The verb ream descends from Old English rǣman, “to ram or batter,” and developed the figurative sense of attacking someone verbally. It is related to Germanic words associated with a ram, including English ram, rammer, and ramrod. This origin is separate from the noun ream meaning a quantity of paper.
Related word forms
How reaming is actually used
In its social sense, reaming is chiefly informal and strongly confrontational; it is more colorful and forceful than simply saying someone was criticized. The machining sense is specialized and technical.
Easily confused with reaming
Reaming means to berate someone, whereas a ream is a unit of paper or another large quantity.