jam

I

[[t]dʒæm[/t]]

v. jammed, jam•ming, n.

1) to press or squeeze into a confined space:

to jam socks into a drawer[/ex]

2) to bruise or crush by squeezing:

to jam one's hand in a door[/ex]

3) to fill tightly

4) to push or thrust violently on or against something:

Jam your foot on the brake[/ex]

5) to block up by crowding:

Crowds jammed the doors[/ex]

6) to put or place in position with a violent gesture (often fol. by on):

He jammed on his hat[/ex]

7) to make (something) unworkable by causing parts to become stuck, displaced, etc.:

to jam a lock[/ex]

8) rtv

a) to interfere with (radio signals or the like) by sending out other signals of approximately the same frequency

b) rtv (of radio signals or the like) to interfere with (other signals)

9) to become stuck, wedged, blocked, etc.:

This door jams easily[/ex]

10) to press or push, often violently, as into a confined space:

They jammed into the elevator[/ex]

11) (of a machine, part, etc.) to become unworkable, as through the wedging or displacement of a part

12) mad to participate in a jam session

13) the act of jamming or the state of being jammed

14) a mass of objects, vehicles, etc., crammed together in such a way as to severely impede movement:

a traffic jam[/ex]

15) inf Informal. a difficult or embarrassing situation; predicament; fix:

Their lying got them into a jam[/ex]

•

Etymology: 1700–10; appar. of expressive orig.; cf. champ I, dam I II

jam

[[t]dʒæm[/t]] n.

coo a preserve of slightly crushed fruit boiled with sugar

•

Etymology: 1720–30; perh. identical with jam I jam′like`, jam′my, adj.