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[jam] /dʒæm/
verb (used with object), jammed, jamming.
The ship was jammed between two rocks.
to bruise or crush by squeezing:
She jammed her hand in the door.
to fill too tightly; cram:
He jammed the suitcase with clothing.
She jammed her foot on the brake.
to fill or block up by crowding; pack or obstruct:
Crowds jammed the doors.
to put or place in position with a violent gesture (often followed by on):
He jammed his hat on and stalked out of the room.
to make (something) unworkable by causing parts to become stuck, blocked, caught, displaced, etc.:
to jam a lock.
  1. to interfere with (radio signals or the like) by sending out other signals of approximately the same frequency.
  2. (of radio signals or the like) to interfere with (other signals).
to play (a piece) in a freely improvised, swinging way; jazz up:
to jam both standard tunes and the classics.
Nautical. to head (a sailing ship) as nearly as possible into the wind without putting it in stays or putting it wholly aback.
verb (used without object), jammed, jamming.
to become stuck, wedged, fixed, blocked, etc.:
This door jams easily.
to press or push, often violently, as into a confined space or against one another:
They jammed into the elevator.
(of a machine, part, etc.) to become unworkable, as through the wedging or displacement of a part.
Jazz. to participate in a jam session.
the act of jamming or the state of being jammed.
a mass of objects, vehicles, etc., jammed together or otherwise unable to move except slowly:
a log jam; a traffic jam.
Informal. a difficult or embarrassing situation; fix:
He got himself into a jam with his boss.
Origin of jam1
1700-10; apparently imitative; cf. champ1, dam1 Unabridged
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Examples from the Web for jammed
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples
  • Tom quickly stepped inside and jammed his gun in the man's back.

    The Revolt on Venus Carey Rockwell
  • By a single twist Sparwick jammed his enemy against the floor.

    The Camp in the Snow William Murray Graydon
  • He thanked heaven for that as he tore away a boardlike piece of apparatus and jammed it over the leak in the jar.

  • When near-by houses are jammed to suffocation, they live and sleep in the streets.

    The New World of Islam Lothrop Stoddard
  • Long before three o'clock in the afternoon the Town Hall was filled and jammed to its doors with men and women.

    The Co-Citizens Corra Harris
British Dictionary definitions for jammed


verb jams, jamming, jammed
(transitive) to cram or wedge into or against something: to jam paper into an incinerator
(transitive) to crowd or pack: cars jammed the roads
to make or become stuck or locked: the switch has jammed
(transitive) often foll by on. to activate suddenly (esp in the phrase jam on the brakes)
(transitive) to block; congest: to jam the drain with rubbish
(transitive) to crush, bruise, or squeeze; smash
(radio) to prevent the clear reception of (radio communications or radar signals) by transmitting other signals on the same frequency
(intransitive) (slang) to play in a jam session
a crowd or congestion in a confined space: a traffic jam
the act of jamming or the state of being jammed
(informal) a difficult situation; predicament: to help a friend out of a jam
Derived Forms
jammer, noun
Word Origin
C18: probably of imitative origin; compare champ1


(slang) something desirable: you want jam on it
jam today, the principle of living for the moment
Word Origin
C18: perhaps from jam1 (the act of squeezing)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for jammed



"to press tightly," also "to become wedged," 1706, of unknown origin, perhaps a variant of champ (v.). Of a malfunction in the moving parts of machinery, by 1851. Sense of "cause interference in radio signals" is from 1914. Related: Jammed; jamming. The adverb is recorded from 1825, from the verb.


"fruit preserve," 1730s, probably a special use of jam (v.) with a sense of "crush fruit into a preserve."

"a tight pressing between two surfaces," 1806, from jam (v.). Jazz meaning "short, free improvised passage performed by the whole band" dates from 1929, and yielded jam session (1933); but this is perhaps from jam (n.1) in sense of "something sweet, something excellent." Sense of "machine blockage" is from 1890, which probably led to the colloquial meaning "predicament, tight spot," first recorded 1914.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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jammed in Medicine

jam (jām)
v. jammed, jam·ming, jams

  1. To block, congest, or clog.

  2. To crush or bruise.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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Slang definitions & phrases for jammed



Drunk: He got jammed (1922+)

jam 1


: Jam bands do have styles


  1. A predicament; bind, tight spot (1914+)
  2. (also traffic jam) A tight crush of cars, people, etc; jam-up (1917+)
  3. Small objects like rings and watches that are easy to steal (1925+ Underworld)
  4. A party or gathering where jazz musicians play for or with one another; jam session: Bix and the boys would blow it free and the jam was on (1930s+ Jazz musicians)
  5. party: Are you going to the jam tonight? (1930s+)
  6. The vulva; a woman's genitals (1896+)
  7. Cocaine; nose candy (1960s+ Narcotics)


  1. To play jazz with great spontaneity, esp to improvise freely with other musicians and usually without an audience (1930s+ Jazz musicians)
  2. To have a good time; party joyously; get it on: As for us, we danced, we jammed, and we wondered
  3. To make up a rap song, esp in a competitive situation (1970s+ New York teenagers)
  4. To make trouble for; coerce or harass, esp with physical force: than when they're jammin' me for a penny every time I walk down the street/ He knows what to say that will jam you and not jam you (1960s+)
  5. To do the sex act; copulate; screw: Did what? Jammed (1970s+ Students)
  6. To auction; act as an auctioneer (1950s+ Hawkers)
  7. To send an interfering signal on a broadcast channel one wishes to make unintelligible: An attempt was made to jam (1914+)
  8. To run away; skedaddle: Let's jam!/ I shifted ionto high gear and jammed it up to Santa Teresa (1990s+)
  9. To pitch the ball close to the batter, so that he is forced to hit it close to the gripped end of the bat (1960s+ Baseball)
  10. slam dunk (1990s+ Basketball)

Related Terms

in a jam, jim-jam, logjam, toe jam

[all senses have some relation to the asi notion of squeezing or crushing so as to make jam]

jam 2


A heterosexual man

[1970s+ Homosexuals; said to be fr just a man]

Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Idioms and Phrases with jammed


see under get in a bind
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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