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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

"Netflix produces movies. Netflix doesn't produce jam," says Jones, the brand guru.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

In an Instagram video announcing the product line, Markle declared: “I think we are all clear at this point that jam is my jam.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

I like the brunch place where a waiter knows I want blackberry jam with my Texas toast, and I know what his nieces have been reading lately.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

In a whitewashed basement in a village south of Kabul, a dozen young women bustle about, stirring cauldrons of bubbling cherries and plums, and sticking labels on glass jam jars.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

I pull the cloth napkin from my bag and unwrap the apple jam sandwich.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

“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

“Don’t feel bad for me, Jam. Wasn’t me anything was done to. Was Moss.”

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi

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

It’s no happenstance that Brian Moynihan regularly jams “gainsay,” “concomitant” and “fantods” into otherwise ordinary sentences in analyst calls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Archer aspires to build a fleet of air taxis that could potentially jet New York City travelers to airports in 15 minutes or less, avoiding traffic jams.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

I ping-ponged from soft cheeses to eggs and squash, then past a gelato cart and a table crowded with jams, pepper jellies and a milk carton filled with VHS tapes.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

Apples piled high, some lent their aroma to the air from where they dried in the sun on the lean-to roofs and others as they bubbled into jellies and jams.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

These transits involve vessels whose exact route cannot be confirmed due to insufficient data stemming from disabled transponders, jammed signals or missing satellite imagery.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 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

Before he jammed with rock icons, McCreary was mentored by the late, iconic Elmer Bernstein for nearly the last decade of his life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The Covid lockdowns compounded the problem, disrupting maintenance routes and collections while leaving many viewers jammed or out of service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

John Harvey turned to her, hands jammed in his pockets.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

The National Trust said the practice of jamming a coin into the causeway had started years ago but had become problematic as it increased in scale over the last decade.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The equivalent of 10,000 coins have been painstakingly removed from the Giant's Causeway following years of visitors jamming them between the columns.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Radios for command and control and video link, enabling long range missions and offering jamming resistance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

“I remember one time he invited us to Sunset Sound in the middle of the night. We get there and we’re jamming, then suddenly we look around and he’s disappeared. ‘

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

The boys held up while Candace pumped the lotion into her hand, jamming the plunger down over and over again until she had enough to turn sidewalk to Slip 'N Slide.

From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds