jam

jam

jam¹ [jam]

vt.

jammed, jamming [< ?]

1. to squeeze or wedge into or through a confined space

2.

a) to bruise or crush

b) to force (a thumb, toe, etc.) back against its joint so as to cause impaction

3. to push, shove, or crowd

4. to pack full or tight

5. to fill or block (a passageway, river, etc.) by crowding or squeezing in

6.

a) to wedge or make stick to prevent movement

b) to put out of order by such jamming [to jam a rifle]

7. to make (radio broadcasts, radar signals, etc.) unintelligible, as by sending out other signals on the same wavelength

☆ 8. [Slang] Basketball STUFF (vt. 9)

vi.

1.

a) to become wedged or stuck fast

b) to become unworkable through such jamming of parts

2. to push against one another in a confined space

☆ 3. Informal to improvise freely, esp. in a jam session

n.

1. a jamming or being jammed

2. a group of persons or things so close together as to jam a passageway, etc. [a traffic jam ]

☆ 3. Informal a difficult situation; predicament

☆ 4. Informal JAM SESSION

☆ 5. [Slang] Basketball STUFF (n. 11)

jam² [jam]

n.

[< ? JAM¹]

a food made by boiling fruit with sugar to a thick mixture: cf. PRESERVE, JELLY