jettison
Americanverb (used with object)
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jettisons,
present (3rd person singular)
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jettisoned,
past participle, past
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jettisoning
present participle
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to cast (goods) overboard in order to lighten a vessel or aircraft or to improve its stability in an emergency.
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to throw off (something) as an obstacle or burden; discard.
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Cards. to discard (an unwanted card or cards).
noun
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the act of casting goods from a vessel or aircraft to lighten or stabilize it.
verb
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to throw away; abandon
to jettison old clothes
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to throw overboard
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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jettisonsimple
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jettisonssimple
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have jettisonedperfect
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has jettisonedperfect
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am jettisoningprogressive
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are jettisoningprogressive
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is jettisoningprogressive
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have been jettisoningperfect progressive
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has been jettisoningperfect progressive
Past
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jettisonedsimple
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had jettisonedperfect
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was jettisoningprogressive
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were jettisoningprogressive
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had been jettisoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jettison
1375–1425; late Middle English jetteson < Anglo-French; Old French getaison ≪ Latin jactātiōn- (stem of jactātiō ) jactation
Explanation
Jettison means to push to the side or toss away. If a boat is leaking or an airplane is running out of fuel, you can buy more time by jettisoning cargo, or throwing it overboard. The word jettison — dating, in its nautical meaning, from the 15th century in English — is commonly used figuratively as well as literally. You can jettison a friendship or an attitude. During the month that the Winter Olympics are aired on TV, figure-skating fans across the country jettison homework and other responsibilities in order to watch.
Vocabulary lists containing jettison
This Week in Words: September 25 - October 1, 2017
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She instructed us to write down things we were “done with”—objects and emotions we were ready to jettison from our lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Markets aren’t cynical enough to jettison their bets on tech, however, and continue to ride the sector’s extraordinary gains into the start of the new month.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
High-profile announcements from companies over the past few years promising to jettison the bachelor’s degree as a hiring requirement largely haven’t resulted in action.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2025
There’s a certain amount of melancholy about aging that I can’t simply jettison.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024
After all, he’d seen me jettison my high school boyfriend David at the gates of Princeton.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
In his directorial debut, John Travolta takes a swing so big that it knocks him off his feet and jettisons him into the air — 30,000 feet in the air, to be exact.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
The production, co-directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, jettisons the animal masquerade for a different kind of drag extravaganza.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
The new approach jettisons everything we’ve learned over 60 years: that international development is successful when lasting partnerships are built upon a foundation of goodwill.
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026
He does not dispense two-dollar words; he keeps digressions tidy and to a minimum; he jettisons weight, on occasion, for speed.
From New York Times ● May 8, 2023
The starfish is often in the dilemma of losing a limb or its life; by a reflex action it jettisons the captured arm and escapes.
From The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) A Plain Story Simply Told by J. Arthur Thomson
These experiences came to mind while hearing Danny take on a yet-to-be-previously attempted vampire voice as he dodged dirty looks and jettisoned drinkware.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
“External tanks were only used once. ... We jettisoned them on the way to orbit, and it burned up in the atmosphere before it hit Earth,” Jenkins said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
The two dazed pilots jettisoned what was left of the canopy and jumped into the water, dodging the rotor blades, seconds before the helicopter sank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
It was one of the reasons Guardiola jettisoned Joe Hart upon arrival at Etihad Stadium.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
Upon reaching the Balcony, however, he jettisoned the pack and gave his oxygen canister, mask, and regulator to Beidleman to carry for him.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
But, amid the hand-wringing and reviews, O'Shea believes the RFU was bounced too quickly into jettisoning a coaching group, which was led by Stuart Lancaster and also contained Farrell, Graham Rowntree and Mike Catt.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Plenty of investors these days are jettisoning anything that seems risky from their portfolios.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
What we found could help calm some nerves, and might even stop investors from making the mistake of jettisoning the big winners too early.
From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025
The New York Times’ crossword is synonymous with its current editor, Will Shortz, who gave the puzzle a refresh in the 1990s, jettisoning academic jargon and obscurities in favor of layered puns and pop-culture references.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025
Basketball players did passing drills on deck, but the wind kept jettisoning the balls into the Atlantic.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
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