jamb

¹ American  

[jam] / dʒæm /

Or jambe

noun

• jambs
  plural

1. Architecture, Building Trades.

   1. either of the vertical sides of a doorway, arch, window, or other opening.

   2. either of two stones, timbers, etc., forming the sidepieces for the frame of an opening.

2. Armor. greave.

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jamb ² American  

[jam] / dʒæm /

verb (used with or without object)

Obsolete.

1. an obsolete variant of jam.

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jamb British  

/ dʒæm /

noun

1. a vertical side member of a doorframe, window frame, or lining

2. a vertical inside face of an opening in a wall

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• jambs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of jamb

1350–1400; Middle English jambe < Middle French: leg, jamb < Late Latin gamba, variant of camba pastern, leg < Greek kampḗ bend of a limb

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Explanation

A jamb is one of the upright boards or posts that support a door or window frame. Your front door shuts securely in between two jambs. When a house builder frames a doorway, she sets two jambs at the sides of the opening, with what's called a lintel at the top. The door fits between the jambs. Windows have jambs too — if you replace your existing windows, you may need a whole new frame, including new jambs. The Old French origin is jambe, which means "pier or side post," but was originally "a leg or a shank," from the Late Latin gamba, "leg."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jamb jambs

On Thursday, Arredondo told The Texas Tribune that the delay occurred because the only entryway into the school was blocked by a locked door with a steel jamb.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2022

Thankfully none of players entering the locker room afterward clanked off the door jamb.

From Seattle Times ● May 27, 2022

Check your tires every month to make sure they stay at the pressure recommended by the vehicle’s manufacturer, which is listed on the jamb on the driver’s door.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2022

If there are gaps where the window sash or door closes against the jamb, it could be time to replace the weather stripping.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 16, 2022

He came and stood in the doorway with her; she leaned back against the jamb.

From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell

“With stone jambs and dams, we often will play with the thickness and other dimensions, so that it adds depth and volume to the bathroom space.”

From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2024

Lacking an automated connection to a monitoring service, she connects exposed wires running along jambs to a light switch.

From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2023

“I started with a little campfire and it had eyes and it was really amorphous, like going through door jambs and keyholes” he said.

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2023

Even if it means his leaving scratch marks on the chamber’s door jambs on the way out.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 13, 2021

Bulging tongues of ice had broken doors off their hinges, and through their splintered jambs I could see evidence of a raid: kicked- over furniture, drawers torn open, snows of paper on the floor.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

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