jam1

[jam] /dʒæm/
verb (used with object), jammed, jamming.
1.
to press, squeeze, or wedge tightly between bodies or surfaces, so that motion or extrication is made difficult or impossible:
The ship was jammed between two rocks.
2.
to bruise or crush by squeezing:
She jammed her hand in the door.
3.
to fill too tightly; cram:
He jammed the suitcase with clothing.
4.
to press, push, or thrust violently, as into a confined space or against some object:
She jammed her foot on the brake.
5.
to fill or block up by crowding; pack or obstruct:
Crowds jammed the doors.
6.
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.
7.
to make (something) unworkable by causing parts to become stuck, blocked, caught, displaced, etc.:
to jam a lock.
8.
Radio.
  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).
9.
to play (a piece) in a freely improvised, swinging way; jazz up:
to jam both standard tunes and the classics.
10.
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.
11.
to become stuck, wedged, fixed, blocked, etc.:
This door jams easily.
12.
to press or push, often violently, as into a confined space or against one another:
They jammed into the elevator.
13.
(of a machine, part, etc.) to become unworkable, as through the wedging or displacement of a part.
14.
Jazz. to participate in a jam session.
noun
15.
the act of jamming or the state of being jammed.
16.
a mass of objects, vehicles, etc., jammed together or otherwise unable to move except slowly:
a log jam; a traffic jam.
17.
Informal. a difficult or embarrassing situation; fix:
He got himself into a jam with his boss.
18.
jam session.
Origin
1700-10; apparently imitative; cf. champ1, dam1

jam2

[jam] /dʒæm/
noun
1.
a preserve of whole fruit, slightly crushed, boiled with sugar:
strawberry jam.
Idioms
2.
put on jam, Australian Slang. to adopt a self-important manner or use affected speech.
Origin
1720-30; perhaps special use of jam1
Related forms
jamlike, jammy, adjective

Jam.

1.
Jamaica.
Examples from the web for jam
  • For a full-textured jam with big spoonfuls of berries, mash the fruit coarsely.
  • The mammoth traffic jam that left thousands of truckers sitting in gridlock for more than a week has vanished.
  • Here's an easy refrigerator jam recipe that's perfect for first-time jam-makers.
  • Apricot jam and almond paste makes this basic butter cake worthy of its pedestal.
  • If they don't have their own printers, they have to wait for shared ones, which inevitably jam up.
  • Every so often, though, the researchers come across a bit of jam.
  • No one knows for sure what's causing this jellyfish traffic jam.
  • It was a bug in the connectors that caused cash machines to jam.
  • In some cases the jam is total, preventing any heme synthesis at all.
  • Berry jam and lemon curd fill this easy butter cake.
British Dictionary definitions for jam

jam1

/dʒæm/
verb jams, jamming, jammed
1.
(transitive) to cram or wedge into or against something: to jam paper into an incinerator
2.
(transitive) to crowd or pack: cars jammed the roads
3.
to make or become stuck or locked: the switch has jammed
4.
(transitive) often foll by on. to activate suddenly (esp in the phrase jam on the brakes)
5.
(transitive) to block; congest: to jam the drain with rubbish
6.
(transitive) to crush, bruise, or squeeze; smash
7.
(radio) to prevent the clear reception of (radio communications or radar signals) by transmitting other signals on the same frequency
8.
(intransitive) (slang) to play in a jam session
noun
9.
a crowd or congestion in a confined space: a traffic jam
10.
the act of jamming or the state of being jammed
11.
(informal) a difficult situation; predicament: to help a friend out of a jam
12.
See jam session
Derived Forms
jammer, noun
Word Origin
C18: probably of imitative origin; compare champ1

jam2

/dʒæm/
noun
1.
a preserve containing fruit, which has been boiled with sugar until the mixture sets
2.
(slang) something desirable: you want jam on it
3.
jam today, the principle of living for the moment
Word Origin
C18: perhaps from jam1 (the act of squeezing)

Jam.

abbreviation
1.
Jamaica
2.
(Bible) James
Word Origin and History for jam
v.

"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.

n.

"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.

jam in Medicine

jam (jām)
v. jammed, jam·ming, jams

  1. To block, congest, or clog.

  2. To crush or bruise.

Slang definitions & phrases for jam

jam 1

modifier

: Jam bands do have styles

noun
  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)
verb
  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

noun

A heterosexual man

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


jam in Technology


John and Martin. An interpreted FORTH-like graphics language by John Warnock and Martin Newell, Xerox PARC, 1978. JaM was the forerunner of both Interpress and PostScript. It is mentioned in PostScript Language reference Manual, Adobe Systems, A-W 1985.


A condition on a network where two nodes transmitting simultaneously detect the collision and continue to transmit for a certain time (4 to 6 bytes on Ethernet) to ensure that the collision has been detected by all nodes involved.
(1994-12-12)

Related Abbreviations for jam

Jam.

Jamaica
Idioms and Phrases with jam

jam

see under get in a bind