jams
noun
Showing results for "jams"
- present tense form of jam (3rd person singular).
jams
1 American
[jamz]
/ dʒæmz /
noun
(used with a plural verb)
Jams
2
American
[jamz]
/ dʒæmz /
Trademark.
Usage
What does jams mean? Jams is a very informal word for pajamas—the clothes you wear to sleep in. The word jammies means the same thing but is more common. Terms like jammies, jams, and jam-jams are typically used by children, adults speaking to children, or people using childish words to be silly. A more common synonym for pajamas is p.j.’s, which is informal but not as informal as jammies. You could say that whatever clothes children change into before going to bed are their jams. Traditionally, though, the word refers to clothes that were specifically made and sold for sleeping in, typically consisting of soft, loose-fitting pants or shorts and a (sometimes matching) top. When adults use the words jams or jammies to refer to what they’re wearing, it’s usually to refer to clothes worn for sleeping, but not always. People sometimes use such terms to refer to the clothes they wear to lounge in, especially before bed, though the terms p.j.’s and pajamas are more likely to be used this way. In all cases, the word jams is used very informally. The word jams is also the plural of the noun jam or a present-tense version of the verb jam, both of which have many meanings. Example: OK, kids, time for bed—go brush your teeth and change into your dinosaur jams.
Etymology
Origin of jams
First recorded in 1965–70; by shortening
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Hostess donuts and cupcakes, it turned out, are surprisingly unlike Smucker jams, peanut butter and coffee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
In Mozart’s opera, Tamino, a prince in a fairyland of mystic temples and mystifying gods, relies on his supernatural flute that turn sorrow into joy to get him out of jams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
The threat of new strikes on south Beirut's suburbs sent people fleeing the densely populated area in huge traffic jams linking the area to the capital city, AFP images showed.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
Another Antiguan producer, Novella Payne, who cooks up a range of sauces, syrups and jams under her Granma Aki label, agrees.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
I can hear the notes from the sound check, the little kids trying out their jams before their parents come.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
His video “Pro Musician Jams With Street Performer on Subway” notates a saxophonist on the London Underground as he spontaneously engages a guitarist in a version of Big Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
Jams, jellies and marmalades are a classic way to preserve summer fruits or turn a bounty of sour winter citrus into something sweet.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2023
Jams, jellies and honeys make perfect pairings for much of what’s on offer.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
Now the 79-year-old singer-songwriter is set to bring the so-called Joni Jams she’s been hosting at her Bel-Air home to the scenic Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2023
Jams and groceries could be procured at the druggist's, while the fashionable milliner of the town was also the postmistress.
From Heriot's Choice A Tale by Carey, Rosa Nouchette
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
