jet

¹ American  

[jet] / dʒɛt /

noun

1. a stream of a liquid, gas, or small solid particles forcefully shooting forth from a nozzle, orifice, etc.

2. something that issues in such a stream, as water or gas.

3. a spout or nozzle for emitting liquid or gas.

   a gas jet.

4. jet plane.

5. jet engine.

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verb (used without object)

jetted, jetting

1. to travel by jet plane.

   to jet to Las Vegas for the weekend.

2. to move or travel by means of jet propulsion.

   The octopus jetted away from danger.

3. to be shot forth in a stream.

4. to move or travel rapidly.

   The star halfback jetted toward the goal line.

verb (used with object)

jetted, jetting

1. to transport by jet plane.

   The nonstop service from New York will jet you to Tokyo in 13 hours.

2. to shoot (something) forth in a stream; spout.

3. to place (a pile or the like) by eroding the ground beneath it with a jet of water or of water and compressed air.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or associated with a jet, jet engine, or jet plane.

   jet pilot; jet exhaust.

2. in the form of or producing a jet or jet propulsion.

   jet nozzle.

3. by means of a jet plane.

   a jet trip; jet transportation.

jet ² American  

[jet] / dʒɛt /

noun

1. a compact black coal, susceptible of a high polish, used for making beads, jewelry, buttons, etc.

2. a deep black.

3. Obsolete. black marble.

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adjective

1. consisting or made of jet.

2. of the color jet; black as jet.

jet ¹ British  

/ dʒɛt /

noun

1. a thin stream of liquid or gas forced out of a small aperture or nozzle

2. an outlet or nozzle for emitting such a stream

3. a jet-propelled aircraft

4. astronomy a long thin feature extending from an active galaxy and usually observed at radio wavelengths

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verb

1. to issue or cause to issue in a jet

   water jetted from the hose

   he jetted them with water

2. to transport or be transported by jet aircraft

jet ² British  

/ dʒɛt /

noun

1. 1. a hard black variety of coal that takes a brilliant polish and is used for jewellery, ornaments, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      jet earrings

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JET ³ British  

/ dʒɛt /

acronym

1. Joint European Torus; a tokamak plasma-containment device at Culham, Oxfordshire, for research into energy production by nuclear fusion

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jet Scientific  

/ jĕt /

1. A rapid stream of liquid or gas forced through a small opening or nozzle under pressure.

2. An aircraft or other vehicle propelled by one or more jet engines.

3. A jet engine.

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Etymology

Origin of jet¹

First recorded in 1660–70; 1940–45 jet ¹ for def. 4; from Middle French jeter “to throw,” from unrecorded Vulgar Latin jectāre, from Latin jactus, past participle of jacere “to throw”

Origin of jet²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English jet(e), get(e), from Old French jaiet, gaiet, from Latin gagātēs, from Greek (líthos) gagā́tēs “Gagatic (stone),” named after Gágai, town in Lycia

Example Sentences

Vietnam Airlines went so far as to cancel around 20 domestic flights per week starting in April, because of a lack of jet fuel.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

“We were standing in the jet stream, on the edge of space,” Whittaker wrote in his 1999 memoir, “A Life on the Edge.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

With refineries offline, even if producers pump crude, markets will still suffer shortages of refined products such as diesel, gasoline and jet fuel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

He’s expecting the price of gas, along with diesel fuel and jet fuel, to remain elevated “for a while.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

The U-2 achieved a high altitude that made it impossible for the jet to intercept or shoot at Powers.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• airplane
• plane