jetsam

or jet·som

[ jet-suhm ]

/ ˈdʒɛt səm /

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See synonyms for jetsam on Thesaurus.com

noun

goods cast overboard deliberately, as to lighten a vessel or improve its stability in an emergency, which sink where jettisoned or are washed ashore.

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Compare flotsam, lagan.

Origin of jetsam

1560–70; alteration of jetson, syncopated variant of jettison

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH jetsam

flotsam, jetsam

Words nearby jetsam

jet pipe, jet plane, jetport, jet-propelled, jet propulsion, jetsam, jet set, Jet Ski, jet stream, jettison, jet-to-let

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use jetsam in a sentence

After being rescued from the ocean several times Buster spent the rest of the afternoon collecting flotsam and jetsam.
Why I Hate The Beach|P. J. O’Rourke|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We were in hopes they would look upon our boat as flotsam and jetsam, of which there was more or less strewn upon the beach.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various
The flotsam and jetsam of too many sentimental stories and fairy tales were afloat in the child's active mind.
Mildred's Inheritance|Annie Fellows Johnston
He gathered it in and swept his tiny flash around in search of other jetsam from his tool kit.
Tight Squeeze|Dean Charles Ing

He might just as well, he might much better, slump down in a sodden heap amid the rest of the jetsam.
Where the Pavement Ends|John Russell
No, there had been no wreck, yet all about her lay the wave-sodden flotsam and jetsam of many past disasters.
The Dragon's Secret|Augusta Huiell Seaman

British Dictionary definitions for jetsam

jetsam

jetsom

/ (ˈdʒɛtsəm) /

noun

that portion of the equipment or cargo of a vessel thrown overboard to lighten her, as during a stormCompare flotsam (def. 1), lagan

another word for flotsam (def. 2)

Word Origin for jetsam

C16: shortened from jettison

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with jetsam

jetsam

see flotsam and jetsam.

jetsam

or jet·som

Origin of jetsam

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH jetsam

Words nearby jetsam

Words related to jetsam

How to use jetsam in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jetsam

jetsom

Word Origin for jetsam

Other Idioms and Phrases with jetsam