jettison

[ jet-uh-suhn, -zuhn ]

See synonyms for jettison on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to cast (goods) overboard in order to lighten a vessel or aircraft or to improve its stability in an emergency.
to throw off (something) as an obstacle or burden; discard.

Cards. to discard (an unwanted card or cards).

noun

the act of casting goods from a vessel or aircraft to lighten or stabilize it.
jetsam.

Origin of jettison

1375–1425; late Middle English jetteson<Anglo-French; Old French getaison ≪ Latin jactātiōn- (stem of jactātiō) jactation

Other words from jettison

jet·ti·son·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby jettison

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jettison in a sentence

jettison your lawyers as a source of prison-yard guidance, Abramoff said.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv | Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
But they also bequeathed to us a founding racism that we have found it almost impossible to jettison.
The Invention of the Ego in Martin Luther’s Defiance | Thomas Cahill | November 3, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The other companies to jettison Deen were more interested in their image than the bottom line.
Racism Is a Tough Sell: The Real Reason Everyone Dumped Paula Deen | Daniel Gross | June 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Nor does he believe it will force the company to jettison full-time workers.
Can This Taco Save America? | Daniel Gross | March 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It will jettison the reactionary messages that alienated so many persuadable voters in 2012.
Commentary's Symposium on the Future of Conservatism | David Frum | January 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

"We'll jettison what freight proves an embarrassment," this astute individual advised.
Captain Scraggs | Peter B. Kyne
No occasion to jettison any of our cargo yet, however useless it may be.
The Life of a Celebrated Buccaneer | Richard Clynton
He unclamped his safety harness and stumbled to the jettison bin, holding a hand over his mouth.
Spillthrough | Daniel F. Galouye
And if the swell got too strong for her we had to jettison the top tiers of cotton balespitch em overboard, you see.
Carolyn of the Corners | Ruth Belmore Endicott
You could drink a fifth, jettison the bottle through the trash lock, and sober up before you were needed again.
Death of a Spaceman | Walter M. Miller

British Dictionary definitions for jettison

jettison

/ (ˈdʒɛtɪsən, -zən) /

verb-sons, -soning or -soned (tr)

to throw away; abandon: to jettison old clothes
to throw overboard

noun

another word for jetsam (def. 1)

Origin of jettison

C15: from Old French getaison, ultimately from Latin jactātiō a tossing about; see jactation

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

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