jetsam

American  

[jet-suhm] / ˈdʒɛt səm /

Or jetsom

noun

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

---

jetsam British  

/ ˈdʒɛtsəm /

noun

1. that portion of the equipment or cargo of a vessel thrown overboard to lighten her, as during a storm Compare flotsam lagan

2. another word for flotsam

---

jetsam Idioms  

1. see flotsam and jetsam.

---

Etymology

Origin of jetsam

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

Example Sentences

He recommends self-nudging, deliberately tuning our media inputs and scrolling practices to reduce time spent mentally fending off the internet’s flotsam and jetsam.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Nearly a year and a half after the full-scale Russian invasion, the war remains a supply line of sorts for Reva, a never-ending tide tossing up new flotsam and jetsam.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2023

They will tell you he was the flotsam and jetsam of a sport which was becoming unmoored from reality.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2023

Slowly, to the sound of gently undulating waves, the bodies begin to roll from side to side, like jetsam washing onshore.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2023

Flotsam means the leftover bits and pieces of a shipwreck, while jetsam means items thrown overboard on purpose.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood