Added 7 October 2026
jam
/ˈd͡ʒæm/ symbol
In Latin: condītus Wiktionary
symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about jam at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
noun
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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.
The pitcher's in a jam now, having walked the bases loaded with the cleanup hitter coming to bat.
-
A 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.
verb
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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.
noun
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)