Jam — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb abbreviation /ˈjam/

Meaning & Definition of Jam

Jam (noun)

  1. a food made by boiling fruit and sugar to a thick consistency
  2. a crowded mass that impedes or blocks movement
  3. an act or instance of becoming blocked or jammed
  4. the quality or state of being blocked, stopped, or jammed

Jam (verb)

  1. to become blocked, wedged, or stuck fast
  2. to become unworkable when a movable part becomes blocked or stuck
  3. to force one's way into a restricted space

Jam (abbreviation)

  1. Jamaica

Jam (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement

    "thousands of cars trying to leave the stadium's parking lot at the same time are sure to create a jam"

    similar: backup, bottleneck, jam-up, logjam, snarl, tailback (British), tie-up
    related: tangle, gridlock, lock, congestion, traffic, crawl, delay, slowdown, stoppage

  2. a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape

    "the heavy rain puts us in a real jam: all of the preparations are for a garden wedding"

    similar: bind, box, catch-22, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, impasse, jackpot (chiefly West), mire, pickle, predicament, quagmire, rabbit hole, rattrap, spot, sticky wicket, swamp, kettle of fish
    related: difficulty, node, hot water, soup, pinch, plight, quandary, scrape, trouble, deadlock, halt, logjam, stalemate, standstill, clutch, crisis, crossroad, emergency, exigency, juncture, strait

Jam (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to fit (people or things) into a tight space

    "jammed his clothes into the already bulging hamper"

    similar: cram, crowd, crush, ram, sandwich, shoehorn, squeeze, stuff, wedge
    related: fill, heap, jam-pack, load, pack

  2. to prevent passage through by filling with something

    "firefighters found the nightclub's doorways jammed with trapped patrons"

    similar: block, choke, clog, clot, congest, dam, gum (up), obstruct, occlude, plug (up), stop (up), stuff
    related: bung, cork, spile, stopper, stopple, fill, gridlock, pack, fur, silt, flood, glut, inundate, overwhelm, swamp
    opposite: clear, free, open (up), unblock, unclog, unplug, unstop
    near: excavate, hollow (out), scoop (out), empty, lighten

  3. to put into (something) as much as can be held or contained

    "the inn will jam a guest's picnic basket with an array of tempting foods"

    similar: brim, charge, cram, fill, heap, jam-pack, load, pack, stuff
    related: drench, flood, glut, swamp, bloat, bulk, crowd, crush, mat, press, ram, shove, squash, squeeze, refill, refresh, reload, repack, replenish, overcharge, overfill, overflow, saturate, honeycomb, penetrate
    opposite: clear, empty, evacuate, vacate, void
    near: lighten, deplete, drain, eliminate, exhaust, bleed, draw (off), clean, flush, purge, scour, sweep

  4. to force one's way

    "several more people jammed into the bus even though there was hardly room to stand"

    similar: bore, bull, bulldoze, crash, elbow, jostle, muscle, press, push, shoulder, squeeze
    related: ram, shove, thrust

Related Entry: Jam-pack (verb)

Jam-pack is a different word from Jam. The synonyms below are for jam-pack, not for jam.

  1. to put into (something) as much as can be held or contained

    "we jam-packed the box with goodies for our sick friend"

    similar: brim, charge, cram, fill, heap, jam, load, pack, stuff
    related: drench, flood, glut, swamp, bloat, bulk, crowd, crush, mat, press, ram, shove, squash, squeeze, refill, refresh, reload, repack, replenish, overcharge, overfill, overflow, saturate, honeycomb, penetrate
    opposite: clear, empty, evacuate, vacate, void
    near: lighten, deplete, drain, eliminate, exhaust, bleed, draw (off), clean, flush, purge, scour, sweep

Related Entry: Jam-packed (adjective)

Jam-packed is a different word from Jam. The synonyms below are for jam-packed, not for jam.

  1. containing or seeming to contain the greatest quantity or number possible

    "a film jam-packed with spectacular action sequences"

    similar: brimful, brimming, bursting, chock-full, chockablock, crammed, crowded, fat, filled, full, jammed, loaded, packed, stuffed
    related: overcrowded, overfilled, overflowing, overfull, overladen, overloaded, overstuffed, abounding, flush, fraught, replete, rife, swarming, teeming
    opposite: bare, blank, devoid, empty, stark, vacant, void
    near: deficient, inadequate, incomplete, insufficient, short, shortish, shy, wanting, depleted, drained, exhausted

  2. having little space between items or parts

    "the jam-packed placement of the chicken pieces in the frying pan prevented them from browning properly"

    similar: close, compact, crowded, dense, packed, serried, thick, tight
    related: crammed, jammed, overcrowded, crushed, massed, pressed, squeezed, wall-to-wall, airtight, snug, compacted, compressed, condensed, congested, firm, hard, solid, impenetrable, impermeable, impervious
    opposite: airy, loose, open, uncrowded
    near: commodious, roomy, spacious

Related Entry: Jam-up (noun)

Jam-up is a different word from Jam. The synonyms below are for jam-up, not for jam.

  1. a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement

    "knowing that there was a big traffic jam-up ahead, we took the detour that the locals always use"

    similar: backup, bottleneck, jam, logjam, snarl, tailback (British), tie-up
    related: tangle, gridlock, lock, congestion, traffic, crawl, delay, slowdown, stoppage

Related Entry: Jam session (noun)

Jam session is a different word from Jam. The synonyms below are for jam session, not for jam.

  1. as in jam, sing

    similar: ceilidh (Scottish & Irish), hootenanny, jam, sing, songfest, recital, symphony, festival, fete, shindig, performance, presentation, concert, musicale

Related Entry: Jam sessions (noun)

Jam sessions is a different word from Jam. The synonyms below are for jam sessions, not for jam.

  1. as in jams, sings

    similar: ceilidhs (Scottish & Irish), hootenannies, jams, sings, songfests, recitals, symphonies, festivals, fetes, shindigs, performances, presentations, concerts, musicales

Related Entry: Jam-packed (verb)

Jam-packed is a different word from Jam. The synonyms below are for jam-packed, not for jam.

  1. to put into (something) as much as can be held or contained

    "we jam-packed the box with goodies for our sick friend"

    similar: brimmed, charged, crammed, filled, heaped, jammed, loaded, packed, stuffed
    related: drenched, flooded, glutted, swamped, bloated, bulked, crowded, crushed, matted, pressed, rammed, shoved, squashed, squeezed, refilled, refreshed, reloaded, repacked, replenished, overcharged, overfilled, overflowed, saturated, honeycombed, penetrated
    opposite: cleared, emptied, evacuated, vacated, voided
    near: lightened, depleted, drained, eliminated, exhausted, bled, drew (off), cleaned, flushed, purged, scoured, swept

Related Entry: Jam-ups (noun)

Jam-ups is a different word from Jam. The synonyms below are for jam-ups, not for jam.

  1. a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement

    "knowing that there was a big traffic jam-up ahead, we took the detour that the locals always use"

    similar: backups, bottlenecks, jams, logjams, snarls, tailbacks (British), tie-ups
    related: tangles, gridlocks, locks, congestions, traffic, crawls, delays, slowdowns, stoppages

Related Entry: Jam-packs (verb)

Jam-packs is a different word from Jam. The synonyms below are for jam-packs, not for jam.

  1. to put into (something) as much as can be held or contained

    "we jam-packed the box with goodies for our sick friend"

    similar: brims, charges, crams, fills, heaps, jams, loads, packs, stuffs
    related: drenches, floods, gluts, swamps, bloats, bulks, crowds, crushes, mats, presses, rams, shoves, squashes, squeezes, refills, refreshes, reloads, repacks, replenishes, overcharges, overfills, overflows, saturates, honeycombs, penetrates
    opposite: clears, empties, evacuates, vacates, voids
    near: lightens, depletes, drains, eliminates, exhausts, bleeds, draws (off), cleans, flushes, purges, scours, sweeps

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Jam

The most common words with a similar meaning to Jam:

British: tailback
Chiefly West: jackpot
backup, bottleneck, jam-up, logjam, snarl, tie-up, bind, box, catch-22, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, impasse, mire, pickle, predicament, quagmire, rabbit hole, rattrap, spot, sticky wicket, swamp, kettle of fish, cram, crowd, crush, ram, sandwich, shoehorn, squeeze, stuff, wedge, block, choke, clog, clot, congest, dam, gum (up)

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Jam

Words with the opposite meaning of Jam:

clear, free, open (up), unblock, unclog, unplug, unstop, empty, evacuate, vacate, void

Related Words for Jam

tangle, gridlock, lock, congestion, traffic, crawl, delay, slowdown, stoppage, difficulty, node, hot water, soup, pinch, plight, quandary, scrape, trouble, deadlock, halt, stalemate, standstill, clutch, crisis, crossroad, emergency, exigency, juncture, strait, bung

Near Antonyms of Jam

excavate, hollow (out), scoop (out), lighten, deplete, drain, eliminate, exhaust, bleed, draw (off), clean, flush, purge, scour, sweep

Word Forms of Jam

Inflections: jammed, jamming

Derived words: jammy (adjective), jammer (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Jam

perhaps derivative of jam:2

First known use: circa 1736

Words & Phrases Containing Jam

jam band, jam-pack, jam session, jam-up, anti-jam, money for jam

Frequently Asked Questions about Jam

What does "Jam" mean?

"Jam" means a food made by boiling fruit and sugar to a thick consistency. As an a noun, a verb and an abbreviation, it is defined as: a food made by boiling fruit and sugar to a thick consistency. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Jam"?

Other words for "Jam" include backup, bottleneck, jam-up, logjam, snarl, tailback, tie-up and bind. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Jam" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Jam"?

There are 121 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Jam". Common alternatives include backup, bottleneck, jam-up, logjam, snarl, tailback, tie-up, bind, box and catch-22.

What is the opposite of "Jam"?

Antonyms of "Jam" include clear, free, open (up), unblock, unclog, unplug, unstop and empty. Near antonyms include excavate, hollow (out), scoop (out) and lighten.

How do you use "Jam" in a sentence?

Examples of "Jam" in a sentence: "thousands of cars trying to leave the stadium's parking lot at the same time are sure to create a jam"; "the heavy rain puts us in a real jam: all of the preparations are for a garden wedding"; "jammed his clothes into the already bulging hamper".

Is "Jam" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Jam" can be used as a noun, a verb and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Jam"?

"Jam" is pronounced /ˈjam/.

What is the origin of the word "Jam"?

"Jam" comes from perhaps derivative of jam:2. First known use: circa 1736.