jam
Pronunciation: ( jam), [key]
— v., n. jammed, jam•ming,
—v.t.
- 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.
- to bruise or crush by squeezing: She jammed her hand in the door.
- to fill too tightly; cram: He jammed the suitcase with clothing.
- to press, push, or thrust violently, as into a confined space or against some object: 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 fol. 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.
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- to interfere with (radio signals or the like) by sending out other signals of approximately the same frequency.
- (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.
- to head (a sailing ship) as nearly as possible into the wind without putting it in stays or putting it wholly aback.
—v.i.
- 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.
- to participate in a jam session.
—n.
- 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.
- a difficult or embarrassing situation; fix: He got himself into a jam with his boss.
- See
jam
Pronunciation: ( jam), [key]
— n.
- a preserve of whole fruit, slightly crushed, boiled with sugar: strawberry jam.
- to adopt a self-important manner or use affected speech.
Jam.
- Jamaica.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.