1. A quantity of paper; 480 or 500 sheets; one ream equals 20 quires
   "The office manager ordered a ream of paper for the new printer"
    
2. A large quantity of written matter
   "he wrote reams and reams"

1. Enlarge with a reamer
   "ream a hole"
    
2. Remove by making a hole or by boring
   "the dentist reamed out the debris in the course of the root canal treatment"
    
3. Squeeze the juice out (of a fruit) with a reamer
   "ream oranges"
    
4. [N. Amer, informal] Censure severely or angrily
   "The boss reamed out the employee for missing the deadline";
   - call on the carpet [US, informal], take to task, rebuke, rag [informal], trounce, lecture, reprimand, jaw [informal], dress down [informal], call down [informal], scold, chide, berate, bawl out [informal], chew out [N. Amer, informal], chew up [N. Amer, informal], have words, lambaste, lambast, wig [Brit, informal], carpet [Brit, informal]
    
5. [N. Amer, informal] Deprive of by deceit
   "They reamed the investors out of millions";
   - swindle, rook, goldbrick [N. Amer, informal], diddle [informal], bunco [N. Amer, informal], defraud, scam [informal], mulct, hornswoggle [N. Amer, informal], short-change, con [informal], grift [N. Amer, informal], bunko [N. Amer, informal], fleece [informal]

Derived forms: reaming, reams, reamed

Type of: cheat, chisel [informal], criticise [Brit], criticize, damn [informal], definite quantity, enlarge, express, extract, knock [informal], large indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity, pick apart, press out, remove, rip off [informal], take, take away, withdraw

Encyclopedia: Ream, West Virginia