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• jam
  jam

  verb (used with object)

  to press, squeeze, or wedge tightly between bodies or surfaces, so that motion or extrication is made difficult or impossible.
• Jam.
  Jam.

  abbreviation

  Jamaica.

jam

¹ American  

[jam] / dʒæm /

verb (used with object)

• jams,
  present (3rd person singular)
• jammed,
  past participle,  past
• jamming
  present participle

1. to press, squeeze, or wedge tightly between bodies or surfaces, so that motion or extrication is made difficult or impossible.

   The ship was jammed between two rocks.

2. to bruise or crush by squeezing.

   She jammed her hand in the door.

3. to fill too tightly; cram.

   He jammed the suitcase with clothing.

4. to press, push, or thrust violently, as into a confined space or against some object.

   She jammed her foot on the brake.

5. to fill or block up by crowding; pack or obstruct.

   Crowds jammed the doors.

6. to put or place in position with a violent gesture (often followed byon ).

   He jammed his hat on and stalked out of the room.

7. to make (something) unworkable by causing parts to become stuck, blocked, caught, displaced, etc..

   to jam a lock.

8. Radio.

   1. to interfere with (radio signals or the like) by sending out other signals of approximately the same frequency.

   2. (of radio signals or the like) to interfere with (other signals).

9. Music. to play (a piece) in a freely improvised, swinging way; jazz up.

   to jam both standard tunes and the classics.

10. Nautical. to head (a sailing ship) as nearly as possible into the wind without putting it in stays or putting it wholly aback.

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verb (used without object)

• jams,
  present (3rd person singular)
• jammed,
  past participle,  past
• jamming
  present participle

1. to become stuck, wedged, fixed, blocked, etc..

   This door jams easily.

2. to press or push, often violently, as into a confined space or against one another.

   They jammed into the elevator.

3. (of a machine, part, etc.) to become unworkable, as through the wedging or displacement of a part.

4. Music. to participate in a jam session.

5. to collaborate informally, freely, and creatively with others.

   Our department was jamming on a customer project and didn't have time to prep a demo for the conference.

6. Slang.

   1. to make good progress; do well.

      Working alone is awesome when I’m jamming on a project that I love.

   2. to thoroughly like or enjoy something.

      The colors came out rather well, but I'm just not jamming on the actual image.

noun

1. the act of jamming or the state of being jammed.

2. a mass of objects, vehicles, etc., jammed together or otherwise unable to move except slowly.

   a log jam; a traffic jam.

3. Informal. a difficult or embarrassing situation; fix.

   He got himself into a jam with his boss.

4. Music.

   1. jam session.

   2. a piece of music.

      On November 18, the 16-year-old star dropped her new jam, marking an evolution in her sound and style.

5. Slang.

   1. something that one particularly likes, enjoys, or does well: Since math is not my jam, I’ll let y’all figure out the rest.

      Seriously, a huge meat patty and garlic fries are pretty much my jam after a day outside.

      Since math is not my jam, I’ll let y’all figure out the rest.

   2. something that one finds pleasant or easy.

      Life isn't all jam for me just now.

6. a contest, meeting, or conference at which people collaborate informally, freely, and creatively.

   People from 158 countries registered for the jam and shared their ideas for action to improve the quality of life in the world’s cities.

jam ² American  

[jam] / dʒæm /

noun

1. a preserve of whole fruit, slightly crushed, boiled with sugar.

   strawberry jam.

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idioms

1. put on jam, to adopt a self-important manner or use affected speech.

Jam. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Jamaica.

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jam ¹ British  

/ dʒæm /

verb

1. (tr) to cram or wedge into or against something

   to jam paper into an incinerator

2. (tr) to crowd or pack

   cars jammed the roads

3. to make or become stuck or locked

   the switch has jammed

4. to activate suddenly (esp in the phrase jam on the brakes )

5. (tr) to block; congest

   to jam the drain with rubbish

6. (tr) to crush, bruise, or squeeze; smash

7. radio to prevent the clear reception of (radio communications or radar signals) by transmitting other signals on the same frequency

8. slang (intr) to play in a jam session

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noun

1. a crowd or congestion in a confined space

   a traffic jam

2. the act of jamming or the state of being jammed

3. informal a difficult situation; predicament

   to help a friend out of a jam

4. See jam session

jam ² British  

/ dʒæm /

noun

1. a preserve containing fruit, which has been boiled with sugar until the mixture sets

2. slang something desirable

   you want jam on it

3. the principle of living for the moment

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Jam. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Jamaica

2. Bible James

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jam More Idioms  

1. see under get in a bind.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• jammer
  noun
• jamlike
  adjective
• jammy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• jamming
  present
• jammed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• jam
  simple
• jams
  simple
• have jammed
  perfect
• has jammed
  perfect
• am jamming
  progressive
• are jamming
  progressive
• is jamming
  progressive
• have been jamming
  perfect progressive
• has been jamming
  perfect progressive

Past

• jammed
  simple
• had jammed
  perfect
• was jamming
  progressive
• were jamming
  progressive
• had been jamming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will jam
  simple
• will have jammed
  perfect
• will be jamming
  progressive
• will have been jamming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of jam¹

First recorded in 1700–10; apparently imitative; cf. champ ¹, dam ¹

Origin of jam²

First recorded in 1730–40; perhaps special use of jam ¹ (in the sense “to bruise or crush by squeezing”)

Explanation

To jam is to squeeze something tightly into a space, the way your friends might jam themselves into your tiny car. You might have to jam an extra row of books onto your bookshelf when you run out of room. Another way to jam is to get stuck, and a jam can be a dense bunch of stuck people or things, like a traffic jam. If you play a musical instrument, you might jam, or casually improvise, with other musicians. And of course the jam you spread on your toast is a delicious, sweet fruit preserve.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jam Jam. jams jammed jamming

"I've been travelling for three hours... to get to work," said Tetiana Osypenko, a 49-year-old seamstress whose bus was stuck in a traffic jam.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

May I have it, I asked sheepishly—to dehydrate and to make jam, I explained.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The union does not want the promise of jam tomorrow, but some instant sweeteners.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Some time ago, U.S. officials publicly said there were systems on the ground that could jam communications to and from satellites.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

She’d already spread jam on it—strawberry, my favorite.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

“We’re definitely taking security extremely serious at Kelce Jam. You’ll definitely feel safe being there.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 2, 2024

“It’s not going to stop anytime soon – especially with Kelce Jam. I think this will be the nail-in-the-coffin for the 2022 season.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

“If you don’t have chemistry, you can’t win Peach Jam. It’s impossible.”

From New York Times ● Jul. 30, 2014

I feel like that’s kind of how it is with music, most people are like, “Oh my God, Nirvana. Pearl Jam. Soundgarden.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2014

“It’s been a lot, Jam. Like, I’m trying, but it’s been a lot.”

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi

Osypenko, the seamstress, said she would not get home because of the traffic jams.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

LA local news stations regularly break into live programming to broadcast high-speed police pursuits from the air, fly over wildfires and show accidents, protests, and holiday traffic jams in often unscripted, real-time aerials.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

I had thought of using the Multistrada to lane-split through the inevitable traffic jams during Monterey Car Week, held earlier this month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

She initially launched her brand under the moniker American Riviera Orchard, specializing in artisan jams she notably gifted to celebs, including Kris Jenner, Chrissy Teigen and Mindy Kaling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

They used to make pickles, squashes, jams, curry powders and canned pineapples.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

His previous U.N. speeches have been jammed with bluster and bunkum, but none more so than this one.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

“Everything was packed here for when the research missions were supposed to come back,” Al-Sanusi said, as Al-Abideen heaved a jammed container door open.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

In January Takaichi and President Lee Jae Myung jammed on the drums together, while Koizumi played ping-pong with his counterpart.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

As Morrison jammed in the kitchen, Hansard said his request for one of his songs was met with a gruff response from Morrison.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Malik has the hairiest toes, and for the last few weeks, his right big toenail has been all black and blue and yellow because he jammed it doing a backflip.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

A live band of middle-aged men begins jamming to an endless chorus of, “Because I used to love her, but it’s all over now.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Drones with autonomous functions reduce their dependence on communications links and can continue despite jamming and other forms of electronic warfare.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

The British military has been jamming or blocking satellites from other countries in order to defend itself from hostile threats, the BBC has been told.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

From time to time, Wall Street starts jamming too much of a “good thing,” like AI, into the market.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Boaz shivered when he stepped out of the station, yanking up the zipper of his hoodie and jamming his hands into the pockets of his jeans, wishing he’d thought to bring his jacket.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny