Meaning of “jam” in the English Dictionary

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"jam" in English

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jamnoun

uk ​ /dʒæm/ us ​ /dʒæm/

jam noun (FOOD)

A2 [ C or U ] a sweet, soft food made by cooking fruit with sugar to preserve it. It is eaten on bread:

strawberry/raspberry jam
jam sandwiches
Compare
jelly
marmalade

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Idiom(s)

jam tomorrow
what more do you want - jam on it?

jamverb

uk ​ /dʒæm/ us ​ /dʒæm/ -mm-

jam verb (STICK)

C1 [ I or T ] to be, or make something, unable to move:

The door jammed behind me and I couldn't get out
[ + obj + adj ] He jammed the window open with a piece of wood.

› [ T ] to stop radio signals from reaching the people who want to receive them:

Foreign radio broadcasts were regularly jammed.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

jam verb (FILL)

C1 [ T + adv/prep ] to fill a place completely:

The centre of town was jammed with cars moving at a very slow pace.
The motorway was jammed solid (= the traffic could not move) all morning.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

jam on the brakes

(Definition of “jam” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"jam" in American English

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jamverb

us ​ /dʒæm/ -mm-

jam verb (PUSH)

› [ T always + adv/prep ] to push something hard with sudden effort:

[ M ] She jammed on the brakes when the light turned red.

jam verb (PACK)

› [ T always + adv/prep ] to pack tightly into a small space:

He jammed the boxes into the trunk of the car.

jam verb (BECOME STUCK)

› [ I/T ] to become stuck and unable to move, or to be stuck in something:

[ I ] My key jammed in the lock.
[ T ] Paper was jamming the printer.

jam verb (MUSIC)

› [ I ] to play popular music informally with other people, without planning it or practicing together:

He once jammed with Charlie Parker.

jamnoun

us ​ /dʒæm/

jam noun (SITUATION)

› [ C ] infml a difficult situation:

She expects her parents to bail her out whenever she gets in a jam.

jam noun (FOOD)

› [ U ] a soft, sweet food made by cooking fruit with sugar:

strawberry/raspberry jam on toast

(Definition of “jam” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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