jam
A sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar and allowed to congeal. Often spread on bread or toast or used in jam tarts
Noun 4 meanings
A sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar and allowed to congeal. Often spread on bread or toast or used in jam tarts
“He is allergic to jam.”
A difficult situation.
A blockage, congestion, or immobilization.
“a jam of logs in a river”
An informal, impromptu performance or rehearsal.
Verb 4 meanings
To get something stuck, often (though not necessarily) in a confined space.
“My foot got jammed in a gap between the rocks.”
To brusquely force something into a space; to cram, to squeeze.
“They temporarily stopped the gas tank leak by jamming a piece of taffy into the hole.”
To render something unable to move.
To cause congestion or blockage. Often used with "up".
“A single accident can jam the roads for hours.”
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”).
Similar and opposite words
JAM at a glance
JAM has 3 letters and scores 12 points in Scrabble (J 8 + A 1 + M 3) and 15 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #5,331 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with jam
All rhymes- LOGJAM16
- UNJAM14
- FIGJAM19
- JIMJAM24
- ANTIJAM16
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