English Explanatory Dictionary

jam

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar and allowed to congeal. Often spread on bread or toast or used in jam tarts
  2. A difficult situation.
  3. A difficult situation for a pitcher or defending team.
  4. A blockage, congestion, or immobilization.
  5. An informal, impromptu performance or rehearsal.
  6. A song; a track.
  7. An informal event where people brainstorm and collaborate on projects.
  8. That which one particularly prefers, desires, enjoys, or cares about.
  9. A forceful dunk.
  10. A play during which points can be scored.
  11. Any of several manoeuvres requiring wedging of an extremity into a tight space.
  12. The tree Acacia acuminata, with fruity-smelling hard timber.
verb
  1. To get something stuck, often (though not necessarily) in a confined space.
  2. To brusquely force something into a space; to cram, to squeeze.
  3. To render something unable to move.
  4. To cause congestion or blockage. Often used with "up".
  5. To block or confuse a radio or radar signal by transmitting a more-powerful signal on the same frequency.
  6. To throw a pitch at or near the batter's hands.
  7. To dunk.
  8. To play music (especially improvisation as a group, or an informal unrehearsed session).
  9. To injure a finger or toe by sudden compression of the digit's tip.
  10. To attempt to score points.
  11. To bring (a vessel) so close to the wind that half her upper sails are laid aback.
  12. To give up on a date or some other joint endeavour; to stand up, chicken out, jam out.
noun
  1. A kind of frock for children.
noun
  1. Alternative form of jamb.
noun
  1. A household that is only barely able to meet its financial obligations.
name
  1. Abbreviation of Jamaica.

Pronunciation

/ˈd͡ʒæm/ En-uk-jam.ogg [ˈd͡ʒeəm] En-us-jam.ogg /ˈdʒæːm/ En-gb-Jam (fruit spread).ogg En-gb-Jam (verb).ogg

Word forms

jam jams jamming jammed

Etymology

First attested in the early 18th c. as a verb meaning “to press, be pressed, be wedged in”. Compare dialectal jammock (“to press, squeeze, crush into a soft mass, chew food"; also "a soft, pulpy substance”). Perhaps from Middle English chammen, champen ("to bite upon something, gnash the teeth"; whence modern champ, chomp), of uncertain origin; probably originally onomatopoeic. The "performance" sense is first attested with regards to jazz in 1929, and its origin, though uncertain, is likely metaphorical, "something sweet made by the combination of many things", with influence from jamboree.

Synonyms

conserve jelly preserve ass in a sling bind bucket of syrup calvary cauldron cross cross to bear difficulty dilemma dire straits doghouse fix hole jam kettle kettle of fish ordeal pickle pinch plight predicament quandary quagmire situation spot spot of bother sticky situation sticky wicket tight spot trouble jam-up raspberry jam tree stinking acacia ram

Related words

jelly marmalade Ram-jam

Derived words

finger jam fist jam foot jam hand jam ice jam pinkie jam ring jam thumb-down jam toe jam who took the jam out of your doughnut antijam game jam in a jam jam auction jam band jambox jam doughnut jam drop jamful jam jar jamjar jam joint jamless jamlike jam melon jammy jam-packed jam penny jam pitch jam pot jam rag jam rammed jam roll jam roly poly jam sandwich jam session jam tart jam today jam tomorrow jam-tree jam-up jamwich jamwood lob jam log jam money for jam Murrumbidgee jam paper jam peanut butter and jam pearl jam phantom jam pole jam power jam ram-jam real jam slow jam traffic jam want jam on it woodjam jammable

Translations

Bulgarian: притесне́ние Danish: knibe Finnish: pula Finnish: pinne French: pétrin German: Patsche German: Klemme Italian: pasticcio Italian: guaio Norwegian Bokmål: vanskelighet Norwegian Bokmål: trøbbel Norwegian Bokmål: knipe ´ Portuguese: aperto Russian: переплёт Spanish: aprieto Spanish: brete Spanish: apuro Spanish: lío Spanish: ajigolón Spanish: embrollo Spanish: candanga Swedish: knipa Swedish: trubbel Welsh: picil Welsh: strach
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