jam-packed
Britishadjective
Explanation
Anything that's jam-packed is as crowded or full as it can be. If you hate crowds, you'll want to avoid the jam-packed shopping malls around Christmas time. A subway car in Tokyo at rush hour is jam-packed, while a bus in a small village in Germany may have only a few passengers. And a dull day in traffic court will be sparsely attended, but during a dramatic celebrity trial the courthouse is bound to be jam-packed. This adjective is informal, dating from about the turn of the twentieth century. Earlier it was jam-full — both come from the "squeeze into a space" sense of jam.
Vocabulary lists containing jam-packed
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.
McKenna said she had a go bag packed and would sit tight until the evacuation order came.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2025
This bag, packed for my office walk, is probably about 30 to 35 pounds.
From Slate • Sep. 16, 2023
Here’s my secret to pulling off impromptu picnics, even at the end of a workday: Keep a dedicated bag packed with all the picnicware essentials.
From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2023
By her bedside is a bag packed full of essentials: documents, dry foods and water.
From Washington Times • May 29, 2023
They had brought along a couple of short-handled trench shovels, a duffel bag packed with American clothes, and a suitcase with money sewn in its lining.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
