flotsam

American  

[flot-suhm] / ˈflɒt səm /

noun

1. the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water.

2. material or refuse floating on water.

3. useless or unimportant items; odds and ends.

4. a vagrant, penniless population.

   the flotsam of the city slums in medieval Europe.

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flotsam British  

/ ˈflɒtsəm /

noun

1. wreckage from a ship found floating Compare jetsam lagan

2. useless or discarded objects; odds and ends (esp in the phrase flotsam and jetsam )

3. vagrants

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Etymology

Origin of flotsam

1600–10; < Anglo-French floteson, derivative of floter to float < Old English flotian

Explanation

Flotsam is the floating wreckage of a ship. You'll often hear it used with the word jetsam, which refers to floating objects that have been thrown from a ship, usually to lighten it before it sinks. You can keep flotsam and jetsam straight by remembering that flotsam looks like the word, float, and jetsam looks like jettison which means to cast off. Usually it doesn't matter though as flotsam and jetsam are used together as an expression, mostly figuratively to mean things or people who are unwanted or discarded. What about the things that are cast from a ship but sink to the ocean floor instead of floating? That's called lagan.

Example Sentences

Served over ice in a short glass and topped with fruit-salad flotsam, the elixir is lightly caffeinated, mildly fruity and as refreshing as stepping out of the Hanoi humidity into full-blast air conditioning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

“It’s like humans are flotsam that don’t pose a threat, and aren’t food, so they’re ignored,” Lowe said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2025

Moreover, Musk’s unbanning of previously banned bad posters has resulted in some truly vile flotsam returning to the platform.

From Slate • Oct. 27, 2023

Even then, the yuks spillith over into the closing credits whose margins are cluttered with funny bits of illustrated flotsam like Lighterfinger candy bars and Sizzlemint gum.

From New York Times • Jun. 15, 2023

Maybe a toe here, a nostril there, or a mustache, floating like a little curl of seaweed among the other flotsam.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood