jettison

[ jet-uh-suhn, -zuhn ]
See synonyms for jettison on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to cast (goods) overboard in order to lighten a vessel or aircraft or to improve its stability in an emergency.

  2. to throw off (something) as an obstacle or burden; discard.

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

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

Origin of jettison

1
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

  • "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.

  • 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)
  1. to throw away; abandon: to jettison old clothes

  2. to throw overboard

noun
  1. another word for jetsam (def. 1)

Origin of jettison

1
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