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• jet
  jet

  noun

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

  acronym

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

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)

• jets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• jetted,
  past participle,  past
• jetting
  present participle

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)

• jets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• jetted,
  past participle,  past
• jetting
  present participle

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 /

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 ² 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 ³ 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 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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• jetting
  present
• jetted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• jet
  simple
• jets
  simple
• have jetted
  perfect
• has jetted
  perfect
• am jetting
  progressive
• are jetting
  progressive
• is jetting
  progressive
• have been jetting
  perfect progressive
• has been jetting
  perfect progressive

Past

• jetted
  simple
• had jetted
  perfect
• was jetting
  progressive
• were jetting
  progressive
• had been jetting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will jet
  simple
• will have jetted
  perfect
• will be jetting
  progressive
• will have been jetting
  perfect progressive

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

Explanation

A jet is an airplane that can rapidly travel long distances. To jet is the act of getting somewhere quickly, by jet or any other way, as in, "Do you see what time it is? We better jet!" A jet is an aircraft that gets its power from jet engines rather than propellers. Jets are fast — that's probably why as a verb, jet means "to move quickly," either by taking a jet, like the celebrities who jet around the world, or the more ordinary "if I don't jet, I'll be late for school." Dishwashers and certain kinds of tubs have jets, tiny openings that push water out with great force. The streams of water are also called, you guessed it, jets.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jet JET jets jetted jetting

On a July afternoon in 2024, a private jet carrying three men from Mexico touched down at a small airport a few miles west of El Paso.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Spreads on gasoline, jet fuel and heating oil have also surged.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

And the F-35 jet was promised as “a truly remarkable, capable and affordable multirole fighter” that would be built “on schedule and on cost.”

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

The squeeze across the global refined-product markets, where gasoline, diesel and jet fuel compete for the same refinery capacity, is pushing prices higher, The Wall Street Journal’s Giulia Petroni writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Even veteran U-2 pilots like Powers found it thrilling to take off in the powerful jet plane.

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

Joelle Mailloux is the JET science programme leader overseeing the third round of deuterium-tritium experiments which end on Saturday.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2023

Last month, the 40-year-old JET started its final run of experiments before it is switched off for good at the end of the year.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 7, 2023

But opposition to JET does not only come from within the coal industry.

From BBC ● May 23, 2023

The acquisition gives JET a foothold in the U.S. market, but the newly merged company is already facing pressure to sell off Grubhub as JET’s stock continues to tumble on the Amsterdam stock exchange.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2022

JET What color is my gown of?—Black, forsooth: coal-black as jet.

From Shakespeare and Precious Stones Treating of the Known References of Precious Stones in Shakespeare's Works, with Comments as to the Origin of His Material, the Knowledge of the Poet Concerning Precious Stones, and References as to Where the Precious Stones of His Time Came from by George Frederick Kunz

The minerals are used to manufacture powerful magnets used in electric vehicles and wind turbines, but also in drones and fighter jets.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Qatar denies it is holding the three crew members, whose jets were downed early in the war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

However, the planes, some of which are luxury business jets, have barely been used because the agency “did not have the staff necessary to operate them.”

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

American Airlines spent much of the past decade phasing out seatback screens from its Boeing 737s and Airbus A320-family jets, arguing that most travellers preferred to stream entertainment on their own devices.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

From the street below, the top floor of the Rookery seemed aflame with the shifting light of the jets and the fire in the great hearth.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

As they jetted away from San Francisco International Airport later that night, he said, “I guess I’m not a Beatle anymore.”

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

Before launching his presidential bid, De la Espriella lived in Florence, Italy, where he dabbled in opera, jetted around in private planes and promoted his rum and wine businesses.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

Usually, Boro's players would have jetted off on holiday.

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

Rizer jetted to the West Coast with the list as his guide, pitching Loudoun County to the likes of Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook with a simple but compelling idea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026

But Scoob’s awareness of the angry call he knew he’d get the moment Dad read his note and realized he’d jetted while grounded made all the stuff he’d be “missing” feel pretty minor.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

Once again Rutte stepped in -- jetting to Washington to see Trump.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

Had he made that announcement a few hours earlier, maybe Congress could have passed some sort of brief extension before jetting off.

From Slate ● Jun. 13, 2026

For many travelers on a budget, Spirit, like fellow discounter and one-time merger partner Frontier, was the difference between jetting off on vacation or staying closer to home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

Once seated and locked in, it nearly immediately takes off, jetting riders into a darkened hallway with white lights before injecting them into a Lego galaxy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

They were suddenly creatures of pure energy, blurs of black jetting across the clearing and into the trees.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

Related Words

• airplane
• plane