Meanings
jam1
plural jams
- countableA difficult situation.
Where, where is my common sense? / How did I get in a jam like this?
1977, David Byrne, “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town”, in Talking Heads: 77, performed by Talking Heads2 more examples
It's a blackmail ring, and the district attorneys get a share of the loot. […] Well, they got him in the same kind of jam, and soaked him to the tune of three hundred and eighty-six thousand.
1928, Upton Sinclair, BostonShe was married when we first met / Soon to be divorced / I helped her out of a jam, I guess / But I used a little too much force
1975, Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”Synonyms: ass in a sling, bind, bucket of syrup, calvary, cauldron, cross, cross to bear, difficulty
- countableball gamesA difficult situation for a pitcher or defending team.
The pitcher's in a jam now, having walked the bases loaded with the cleanup hitter coming to bat.
Synonyms: ass in a sling, bind, bucket of syrup, calvary, cauldron, cross, cross to bear, difficulty
- countableA blockage, congestion, or immobilization.
a jam of logs in a river
2 more examples
a jam on the 101 South, blocking the two right lanes [radio report]
According to Boeing, in the history of this elevator design (which exists on all Boeing DC-9/MD-80 series and 717 model airplanes), this accident was the first notification that Boeing had received of an elevator jam occurring on an airplane exposed to ground gusts lower than 65 kts. Boeing noted that the elevator design first entered service in 1965 on the then-Douglas DC-9 airplane.
2019 February 14, National Transportation Safety Board, “1.3.2.3 Elevator Design Standard for Ground Gust Loads”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Runway Overrun During Rejected Takeoff, Ameristar Air Cargo, Inc., dba Ameristar Charters, flight 9363, Boeing MD-83, N786TW, Ypsilanti, Michigan, March 8, 2017, archived from the original on 02 Jul 2022, page 12Synonyms: jam-up
- commoncountableentertainmentAn informal, impromptu performance or rehearsal.
- broadlycountableinformalA song; a track.
pump up the jam
2 more examples
And a mix CD titled "Summer Jamz 2000." Jamz is spelled with a "z".
2025, S.E. Case, chapter 1, in Rigsby WI, volume 1: Foothold, →ISBN, retrieved 23 Aug 2025, page 16The result is an outstanding assortment of sophisticated, sexy and hip-hop-tinged R&B grooves, ballads and party jams.
2001, Jet, volume 100, number 22, page 25 - broadlycountableAn informal event where people brainstorm and collaborate on projects.
We came up with some new ideas at the game jam.
1 more example
[…] a day at new Farm Park with an art jam, fursuit games, and a nerf war, ending in the evening at the strike Wintergarden bowling center.
2017, Fred Patten, Furry Fandom Conventions, 1989-2015, page 92 - countableslangThat which one particularly prefers, desires, enjoys, or cares about.
Teaching is my jam.
Synonyms: cup of tea, affinity, bag, bent, love, cup of coffee, cup of joe, cup of tea
- countableball gamesA forceful dunk.
- countableroller derbyA play during which points can be scored.
Toughie scored four points in that jam.
- countableclimbingAny of several manoeuvres requiring wedging of an extremity into a tight space.
I used a whole series of fist and foot jams in that crack.
- AustraliacountableuncountableThe tree Acacia acuminata, with fruity-smelling hard timber.
Synonyms: raspberry jam tree, stinking acacia
- countableslanguncountableSexual relations or the contemplation of them.
- countableslanguncountableSomething enjoyable; a delightful situation or outcome.
’Tis fine to be a pretty girl, or just a gay and witty girl, And obviously to be both is rightly counted jam, But even more desirable, and clearly less acquirable, Is that mysterious quality denominated glam.
1939 July 19, The Bulletin, Sydney, page 14, column 1
present singular third person jams · participle present jamming · participle past jammed · past jammed
- To get something stuck, often (though not necessarily) in a confined space.
I jammed the top knuckle of my ring finger.
3 more examples
My foot got jammed in a gap between the rocks.
Her poor little baby toe got jammed in the door.
The Ship, which by its Building was Spanish, stuck fast, jaum’d in between two Rocks; all the Stern and Quarter of her was beaten to Pieces with the Sea […]
1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], 3rd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], published 1719, →OCLC, page 226 - To brusquely force something into a space; to cram, to squeeze.
The rush-hour train was jammed with commuters.
2 more examples
They temporarily stopped the gas tank leak by jamming a piece of taffy into the hole.
Jamm’d in at midnight, in cold winter weather,
1779, George Colman, Farewell Epilogue, spoken at Wynnstay after the representation of Cymbeline and The Spanish Barber, 22 January, 1779, in Prose on Several Occasions: Accompanied with Some Pieces in Verse, London: T. Cadel, 1787, Volume 3, p. 283, Since the new post-horse tax, I dare engage That some folks here have travell’d in the Stage - To render something unable to move.
1 more example
Considering the results of the CFD wind simulation, the NTSB designed several series of static and dynamic elevator load tests to determine what conditions, consistent with the known circumstances of the accident, could enable the inboard actuating crank and links of the right elevator's geared tab to move beyond their normal range of travel and become locked in an overcenter position (and, as a result, jam the right elevator).
2019 February 14, National Transportation Safety Board, “2.3.3 Elevator Load Testing”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Runway Overrun During Rejected Takeoff, Ameristar Air Cargo, Inc., dba Ameristar Charters, flight 9363, Boeing MD-83, N786TW, Ypsilanti, Michigan, March 8, 2017, archived from the original on 02 Jul 2022, page 56 - To cause congestion or blockage. Often used with "up".
A single accident can jam the roads for hours.
- To turn (fruit) into jam.
- To add jam to; to cover with jam.
‘Just look at me. All jammed and dripping in a public street.’
1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 56 - ball gamesTo dunk.
- entertainmentTo play music (especially improvisation as a group, or an informal unrehearsed session).
- transitivenauticalTo bring (a vessel) so close to the wind that half her upper sails are laid aback.
It won't do to jam her,” answered Stone ;" but it might be worth findin' out if th' Hope won't lie closer than t' other can." Half a point ----"
(Can we date this quote?), William Clark Russell, The Golden Hope - colloquialTo be of high quality (especially for music).
I love this song! This song jams!
jam2
jam3
JAM4
plural JAMs
- UKinformalA household that is only barely able to meet its financial obligations.
Although most of the income for JAM families comes from work, it is, in many cases, topped up by welfare support.
2019 February 13, Tahir Maher, “Just About Managing (JAM)”, in Liberal Democrat Voice1 more example
Well, technically, a Jam is a working-class Brexit voter who feels alienated by the creeping march of globalisation.
2016 November 20, “Jam – the new government acronym ‘just about managing’ to make sense”, in The Guardian
Jam5
- abbreviationAbbreviation of Jamaica.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar and allowed to congeal. Often spread on bread or toast or used in jam tarts
nounA difficult situation.
nounA difficult situation for a pitcher or defending team.
nounA blockage, congestion, or immobilization.
nounThat which one particularly prefers, desires, enjoys, or cares about.
nounThe tree Acacia acuminata, with fruity-smelling hard timber.
More synonyms by meaning
nouninformal terms for a difficult situation
noundeliberate radiation or reflection of electromagnetic energy for the purpose of disrupting enemy use of electronic devices or systems
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
jam · noun, verb
- Middle Englishchammen
- Englishjam
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.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans konfyt, jam
- konfytsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- jamsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Arabic مُرَبًّى, شَوَّشَ
- مُرَبًّى (murabban)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- شَوَّشَ (šawwaša)to block or confuse a broadcast signal
Bengali জ্যাম
- জ্যাম (jêm)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Bulgarian конфитю́р, сла́дко
- конфитю́р (konfitjúr)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- сла́дко (sládko)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- джем (džem)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- задръстване (zadrăstvane)blockage, congestion
- импровиза́ция (improvizácija)impromptu informal performance
- забивка (zabivka)forceful dunk in basketball
- притесне́ние (pritesnénie)difficult situation
- натъпквам (natăpkvam)to get something stuck in a confined space
- натиквам (natikvam)to force something into a space
- задръствам (zadrăstvam)to cause congestion or blockage
- заглушавам (zaglušavam)to block or confuse a broadcast signal
- импровизирам (improviziram)music: to improvise as a group
- притискам (pritiskam)to injure a finger or toe by sudden compression of its tip
Catalan melmelada, embús
- melmeladasweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- embúsblockage, congestion
- embósblockage, congestion
- esmaixadaforceful dunk in basketball
Chinese Cantonese 果占, 占
- 果占 (gwo² zem¹)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- 占 (zem¹)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Chinese Mandarin 果醬 /果酱
- 果醬 /果酱 (guǒjiàng)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Czech džem, marmeláda
- džemsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- marmeládasweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- zácpablockage, congestion
Danish marmelade, syltetøj
- marmeladesweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- syltetøjsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- knibedifficult situation
Dutch confituur, jam
- confituursweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- jamsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- opstoppingblockage, congestion
Esperanto fruktaĵo, ĵami
- fruktaĵosweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- ĵamito block or confuse a broadcast signal
Estonian moos
- moossweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Finnish hillo, tukos
- hillosweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- tukosblockage, congestion
- ruuhkablockage, congestion
- jamitimpromptu informal performance
- donkkausforceful dunk in basketball
- puladifficult situation
- pinnedifficult situation
- juuttuato get something stuck in a confined space
- tunkeato force something into a space
- tukkiato cause congestion or blockage
- häiritäto block or confuse a broadcast signal
- tukkiato block or confuse a broadcast signal
- syöttää käsiä päinbaseball: to throw a pitch at or near the batter's hands
- jammatamusic: to improvise as a group
- jammaillamusic: to improvise as a group
- iskeäto injure a finger or toe by sudden compression of its tip
- yrittää tehdä pisteitäroller derby: to attempt to score points
French confiture, marmelade
- confituresweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- marmeladesweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- embouteillageblockage, congestion
- bœufimpromptu informal performance
- jamimpromptu informal performance
- pétrindifficult situation
- coincerto get something stuck in a confined space
- enfoncerto force something into a space
- fourrerto force something into a space
- embouteillerto cause congestion or blockage
- enrayerto cause congestion or blockage
- brouillerto block or confuse a broadcast signal
- faire un bœufmusic: to improvise as a group
German Marmelade, Konfitüre
- Marmeladesweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- Konfitüresweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- Staublockage, congestion
- Patschedifficult situation
- Klemmedifficult situation
- einklemmento get something stuck in a confined space
- blockierento cause congestion or blockage
- störento block or confuse a broadcast signal
- spontan musizierenmusic: to improvise as a group
- jammenmusic: to improvise as a group
- gemeinsam improvisierenmusic: to improvise as a group
Greek μαρμελάδα, μποτιλιάρισμα
- μαρμελάδα (marmeláda)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- μποτιλιάρισμα (botiliárisma)blockage, congestion
Hebrew רִיבָה, פְּקָק
- רִיבָה (ribá)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- פְּקָק (pkak)blockage, congestion
- תָּקַע (taqá')to force something into a space
Hindi जाम, मुरब्बा
- जाम (jām)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- मुरब्बा (murabbā)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Hungarian dzsem, íz
- dzsemsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- ízsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- lekvársweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- gyümölcsízsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Icelandic sulta
- sultasweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Indonesian selai
- selaisweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Irish subh, plúch
- subhsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- plúchto block or confuse a broadcast signal
Italian marmellata, confettura
- marmellatasweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- confetturasweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- ingorgoblockage, congestion
- improvvisazioneimpromptu informal performance
- pasticciodifficult situation
- guaiodifficult situation
Japanese ジャム
- ジャム (jamu)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Korean 잼, 단졸임
- 잼 (jaem)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- 단졸임 (danjorim)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Latin condītus
- condītussweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Latvian ievārījums, brīvā improvizācija
- ievārījumssweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- brīvā improvizācijaimpromptu informal performance
- džemsesijaimpromptu informal performance
Lithuanian uogienė, spūstis
- uogienėsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- spūstisblockage, congestion
- susigrūdimasblockage, congestion
Malay jem, selai
- jemsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- selaisweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- jelaisweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Māori tiamu, hāma
- tiamusweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- hāmasweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- purungablockage, congestion
- kūkāblockage, congestion
- tautangitangiimpromptu informal performance
- haukuruforceful dunk in basketball
- kūkāto get something stuck in a confined space
- opuruto force something into a space
- taipuruto cause congestion or blockage
- kūkāto cause congestion or blockage
- haukurubaseball: to throw a pitch at or near the batter's hands
- tautangitangimusic: to improvise as a group
Norwegian Bokmål syltetøy, trengsel
- syltetøysweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- trengselblockage, congestion
- vanskelighetdifficult situation
- trøbbeldifficult situation
- knipe ´difficult situation
Persian پارازیت فرستادن
- پارازیت فرستادن (pârâzit ferestâdan)to block or confuse a broadcast signal
Polish dżem, korek
- dżemsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- korekblockage, congestion
- zatorblockage, congestion
- wcisnąćto force something into a space
- wciskaćto force something into a space
- zatkaćto cause congestion or blockage
- zakorkowaćto cause congestion or blockage
- zagłuszaćto block or confuse a broadcast signal
Portuguese geleia, compota
- geleiasweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- compotasweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- congestionamentoblockage, congestion
- jam sessionimpromptu informal performance
- apertodifficult situation
- enfiarto force something into a space
- congestionarto cause congestion or blockage
- interferirto block or confuse a broadcast signal
Romanian gem, marmeladă
- gemsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- marmeladăsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- bruiato block or confuse a broadcast signal
- damusic: to improvise as a group
Russian джем, варе́нье
- джем (džem)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- варе́нье (varénʹje)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- конфитю́р (konfitjúr)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- пови́дло (povídlo)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- мармела́д (marmelád)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- загроможде́ние (zagromoždénije)blockage, congestion
- зато́р (zatór)blockage, congestion
- про́бка (próbka)blockage, congestion
- да́вка (dávka)blockage, congestion
- джем-се́йшен (džem-sɛ́jšen)impromptu informal performance
- импровиза́ция (improvizácija)impromptu informal performance
- переплёт (perepljót)difficult situation
- зажима́ть (zažimátʹ)to get something stuck in a confined space
- зажа́ть (zažátʹ)to get something stuck in a confined space
- сжима́ть (sžimátʹ)to get something stuck in a confined space
- сжа́ть (sžátʹ)to get something stuck in a confined space
- впи́хивать (vpíxivatʹ)to force something into a space
- впихну́ть (vpixnútʹ)to force something into a space
- вта́лкивать (vtálkivatʹ)to force something into a space
- втолкну́ть (vtolknútʹ)to force something into a space
- вти́скивать (vtískivatʹ)to force something into a space
- вти́снуть (vtísnutʹ)to force something into a space
- вти́скать (vtískatʹ)to force something into a space
- загроможда́ть (zagromoždátʹ)to cause congestion or blockage
Scottish Gaelic silidh
- silidhsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Slovak džem
- džemsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Spanish atasco, atasco
- atascoblockage, congestion
- atascodifficult situation
- atascaderodifficult situation
- atolladerodifficult situation
- atascarto get something stuck in a confined space
- meterto force something into a space
- enturbiarto block or confuse a broadcast signal
- aturdirto block or confuse a broadcast signal
- obcecarto block or confuse a broadcast signal
Swahili jemu, msongamano
- jemusweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- msongamanoblockage, congestion
Swedish sylt, marmelad
- syltsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- marmeladsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- stockningblockage, congestion
- proppblockage, congestion
- jamimpromptu informal performance
- knipadifficult situation
- trubbeldifficult situation
- jammamusic: to improvise as a group
Tagalog diyam
- diyamsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Thai แยม
- แยม (yɛɛm)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Turkish reçel, murabba
- reçelsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- murabbasweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Ukrainian джем, варе́ння
- джем (džem)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- варе́ння (varénnja)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- мармела́д (marmelád)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- пови́дло (povýdlo)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- зато́р (zatór)blockage, congestion
Urdu جام, مُرَبَّا
- جام (jām)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- مُرَبَّا (murabbā)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Vietnamese mứt
- mứtsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Welsh jam, cyffaith
- jamsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- cyffaithsweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
- tagfablockage, congestion
- picildifficult situation
- strachdifficult situation
Yiddish פּאָווידלע
- פּאָווידלע (povidle)sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with jam
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Cite this entry
jam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jam
“jam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jam. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jam,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jam.
Source: jam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.