Jump To:

• 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.

---

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.

---

idioms

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

Jam. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Jamaica.

---

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

---

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

---

Jam. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Jamaica

2. Bible James

---

jam More Idioms  

1. see under get in a bind.

---

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

When the Night Watch teams are able to retrieve a downed target, they often scour the wreckage to figure out new ways to jam them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Beloved for its mildly sweet, nutty flavour and velvety texture, it later evolved into a party food, consumed as a jam or stewed with sticky rice balls in coconut milk.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Classic rock and jam bands like the Eagles and Dead & Co. largely use Sphere’s A/V capabilities as a psychedelic background to stately tunes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

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

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Nathan grabbed the peanut butter jam, and bread.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

“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

“I’ll tell them everything, please don’t let it come back, Jam. Jam, are you there? Redemption? I’m sorry, y’all, I’m so, so sorry.”

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

That’s where she became the first woman to host “The Original Quiet Storm,” a program of “soulful slow jams and romantic melodies” that recently celebrated 50 years of being on air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 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

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

French jams, English marmalades, an unclean butter dish, bottles of ketchup and Lea & Perrins circled past, before what the Object wanted: an economy-size jar of Rolaids.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Antidrone defenses have jammed the GPS signal on his watch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

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

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

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

News of their imminent arrival leaked out, and the streets in front of the courthouse were jammed with reporters and cheering crowds.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

“John walks into the Homeboy Art Academy,” he wrote, “and starts jamming as the homies are playing ‘Stand By Me.’”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 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

All the tears were jamming themselves together and pushing their way out.

From "Miracle's Boys" by Jacqueline Woodson