Word: Jam

Pronunciation

/dʒæm/

Definitions

Noun (n)

• A thick mixture made by boiling fruit and sugar together until it becomes a spreadable consistency, often eaten on bread or toast. Example: “She spread strawberry jam on her toast for breakfast.”
• A traffic jam; a situation where there is a long line of vehicles unable to move freely due to congestion. Example: “The morning commute was delayed due to heavy traffic jams on the highway.”
• In music, a jam session refers to when musicians play or improvise together, often informally. Example: “They had a great jazz jam last night at the club.”

Verb (v)

• To press something tightly into a space that’s too small or to crush something between two objects. Example: “I accidentally jammed my finger in the door.”
• To block or congest a passage or mechanism. Example: “The paper got jammed in the printer.”
• In sports, to obstruct or hinder an opponent’s movement. Example: “The defender expertly jammed the receiver at the line of scrimmage.”
• To fill something with a large amount or to cram. Example: “We jam-packed the car with suitcases for our holiday trip.”

Adjective (adj) [in compounds]

• Describing a situation where things are crowded or packed tightly together. Example: “jam-packed stadium”

Phrases

• “Jam session”: An informal gathering of musicians playing music together, typically improvising.
• “In a jam”: Being in a difficult or problematic situation. Example: “He’s really in a jam now because he forgot his passport before the international flight.”

Example Sentences

• Noun (food): “Grandma’s homemade raspberry jam is the best in the county.”
• Verb (traffic): “The accident caused a major jam on the main road.”
• Verb (obstruct): “Make sure not to jam the lock with the wrong key.”

Synonyms

• For the noun meaning food: preserve, conserve, marmalade
• For the verb meaning to obstruct or crowd: block, congest, clog, pack
• For the musical context: improvise, play together, session
• For being in a difficult situation: stuck, in trouble, cornered, up against it