jam

[ jam ]

/ dʒæm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jam ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), jammed, jam·ming.

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.

to bruise or crush by squeezing: She jammed her hand in the door.

to fill too tightly; cram: He jammed the suitcase with clothing.

to press, push, or thrust violently, as into a confined space or against some object: She jammed her foot on the brake.

to fill or block up by crowding; pack or obstruct: Crowds jammed the doors.

to put or place in position with a violent gesture (often followed by on): He jammed his hat on and stalked out of the room.

to make (something) unworkable by causing parts to become stuck, blocked, caught, displaced, etc.: to jam a lock.

Radio.

to interfere with (radio signals or the like) by sending out other signals of approximately the same frequency.
(of radio signals or the like) to interfere with (other signals).

to play (a piece) in a freely improvised, swinging way; jazz up: to jam both standard tunes and the classics.

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), jammed, jam·ming.

to become stuck, wedged, fixed, blocked, etc.: This door jams easily.

to press or push, often violently, as into a confined space or against one another: They jammed into the elevator.

(of a machine, part, etc.) to become unworkable, as through the wedging or displacement of a part.

Jazz. to participate in a jam session.

noun

the act of jamming or the state of being jammed.

a mass of objects, vehicles, etc., jammed together or otherwise unable to move except slowly: a log jam; a traffic jam.

Informal. a difficult or embarrassing situation; fix: He got himself into a jam with his boss.

jam session.

Nearby words

jalisco, jalopy, jalor, jalouse, jalousie, jam, jam nut, jam session, jam-pack, jam-packed, jam-up

Origin of jam

1700–10; apparently imitative; cf. champ¹, dam¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jammed

Hice is like the Republican version of a right-wing Frankenstein, featuring the worst elements of the GOP jammed into one person.
Jody Hice: Mr. Bigot Goes to Washington?|Dean Obeidallah|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I jammed my thumb into my mouth and almost choked on it while the screen lit up with sunny skies on a gleaming lake.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’|Eileen Cronin|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her pistol then jammed and she could only watch the gunman advance and point his gun directly at her head.
How the Army Betrayed the Hero of Fort Hood|Michael Daly|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rosemary Arnold says her clients—including a doggy-daycare owner—suffered when their town was jammed with traffic.
Better Call Rosemarie! Meet the Lawyer Suing Christie Over Bridgegate|Olivia Nuzzi|January 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Tax breaks to selected manufacturers like automakers, and dollops of consumer credit, have jammed the malls and snarled traffic.
Can Dilma Rousseff Recover?||August 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His hat was jammed on to his head and had been almost smashed in the jamming.
Ayala's Angel|Anthony Trollope
"I am jammed on a lee shore this time, if ever I was," muttered Lingard.
An Outcast of the Islands|Joseph Conrad
But Rosy see 'em coming, jammed the tiller over, the boom swung across and swept the three overboard pretty as you please.
Cape Cod Stories|Joseph C. Lincoln
He jammed his fork into the hay and scrambled down the ladder to the barn floor.
The Duck-footed Hound|James Arthur Kjelgaard
He jammed the speed lever up another notch, and in a minute more we were hittin' only the high places.
Shorty McCabe|Sewell Ford

British Dictionary definitions for jammed (1 of 2)

jam

/ (dʒæm) /

verb jams, jamming or jammed

(tr) to cram or wedge into or against somethingto jam paper into an incinerator

(tr) to crowd or packcars jammed the roads

to make or become stuck or lockedthe switch has jammed

(tr often foll by on) to activate suddenly (esp in the phrase jam on the brakes)

(tr) to block; congestto jam the drain with rubbish

(tr) to crush, bruise, or squeeze; smash

radio to prevent the clear reception of (radio communications or radar signals) by transmitting other signals on the same frequency

(intr) slang to play in a jam session

noun

a crowd or congestion in a confined spacea traffic jam

the act of jamming or the state of being jammed

informal a difficult situation; predicamentto help a friend out of a jam

See jam session

Derived Formsjammer, noun

Word Origin for jam

C18: probably of imitative origin; compare champ 1

British Dictionary definitions for jammed (2 of 2)

jam

/ (dʒæm) /

noun

a preserve containing fruit, which has been boiled with sugar until the mixture sets

slang something desirableyou want jam on it

jam today the principle of living for the moment

Word Origin for jam

C18: perhaps from jam 1 (the act of squeezing)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for jammed (1 of 3)

jam

"to press tightly," also "to become wedged," 1706, of unknown origin, perhaps a variant of champ (v.). Of a malfunction in the moving parts of machinery, by 1851. Sense of "cause interference in radio signals" is from 1914. Related: Jammed; jamming. The adverb is recorded from 1825, from the verb.

Word Origin and History for jammed (1 of 3)

jam

n.1

"fruit preserve," 1730s, probably a special use of jam (v.) with a sense of "crush fruit into a preserve."

Word Origin and History for jammed (2 of 3)

jam

n.2

"a tight pressing between two surfaces," 1806, from jam (v.). Jazz meaning "short, free improvised passage performed by the whole band" dates from 1929, and yielded jam session (1933); but this is perhaps from jam (n.1) in sense of "something sweet, something excellent." Sense of "machine blockage" is from 1890, which probably led to the colloquial meaning "predicament, tight spot," first recorded 1914.

Medicine definitions for jammed

jam

[ jăm ]

v.

To block, congest, or clog.

To crush or bruise.

Idioms and Phrases with jammed

jam

see under get in a bind.

jam

verb (used with object), jammed, jam·ming.

verb (used without object), jammed, jam·ming.

noun

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Origin of jam

Examples from the Web for jammed

British Dictionary definitions for jammed (1 of 2)

jam

verb jams, jamming or jammed

noun

Word Origin for jam

British Dictionary definitions for jammed (2 of 2)

jam

noun

Word Origin for jam

Word Origin and History for jammed (1 of 3)

jam

Word Origin and History for jammed (1 of 3)

jam

Word Origin and History for jammed (2 of 3)

jam

Medicine definitions for jammed

jam

v.

Idioms and Phrases with jammed

jam