jerry can

American  

[jer-ee kan] / ˈdʒɛr i ˌkæn /

Or jerrycan,

noun

1. Also called blitz can.  Military. a narrow, flat-sided, 5-gallon (19-liter) container for fluids, as fuel.

2. British. a can with a capacity of 4½ imperial gallons (5.4 U.S. gallons or 20.4 liters).

---

jerry can British  

noun

1. a flat-sided can with a capacity of between 4.5 and 5 gallons used for storing or transporting liquids, esp motor fuel: originally a German design adopted by the British Army during World War II

---

Etymology

Origin of jerry can

1940–45; apparently Jerry “German”; the British supposedly manufactured the can after a German prototype

Example Sentences

Left behind on the street outside the Louvre was the truck, a jerry can, a blowtorch, angle grinders, a walkie-talkie and yellow vests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

A child lugs a jerry can half his size full of water.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2024

Some firewood, rugs, woven mats, rolled-up clothing or sheets, a dark green plastic tub, and an oversized plastic jerry can were lashed to the bed of the cart.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2020

Our host approaches one of the vendors, a man sitting on a yellow jerry can with the serenity of a monk in meditation.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2018

She propped her camera on a five-gallon-size rumpled jerry can that at one time contained cooking oil, and set the timer.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith