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Jamming

 - 7 dictionary results
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jam

1  [jam] verb, jammed, jam⋅ming, noun
Use Jamming in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to press, squeeze, or wedge tightly between bodies or surfaces, so that motion or extrication is made difficult or impossible: The ship was jammed between two rocks.
2. to bruise or crush by squeezing: She jammed her hand in the door.
3. to fill too tightly; cram: He jammed the suitcase with clothing.
4. to press, push, or thrust violently, as into a confined space or against some object: She jammed her foot on the brake.
5. to fill or block up by crowding; pack or obstruct: Crowds jammed the doors.
6. to put or place in position with a violent gesture (often fol. by on): He jammed his hat on and stalked out of the room.
7. to make (something) unworkable by causing parts to become stuck, blocked, caught, displaced, etc.: to jam a lock.
8. Radio.
a. to interfere with (radio signals or the like) by sending out other signals of approximately the same frequency.
b. (of radio signals or the like) to interfere with (other signals).
9. to play (a piece) in a freely improvised, swinging way; jazz up: to jam both standard tunes and the classics.
10. Nautical. to head (a sailing ship) as nearly as possible into the wind without putting it in stays or putting it wholly aback.
–verb (used without object)
11. to become stuck, wedged, fixed, blocked, etc.: This door jams easily.
12. to press or push, often violently, as into a confined space or against one another: They jammed into the elevator.
13. (of a machine, part, etc.) to become unworkable, as through the wedging or displacement of a part.
14. Jazz. to participate in a jam session.
–noun
15. the act of jamming or the state of being jammed.
16. a mass of objects, vehicles, etc., jammed together or otherwise unable to move except slowly: a log jam; a traffic jam.
17. Informal. a difficult or embarrassing situation; fix: He got himself into a jam with his boss.
18. jam session.
Origin:
1700–10; appar. imit.; cf. champ 1 , dam 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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GPS Anti-Jam Testing
World's leading provider of GPS and interference testing solutions.
www.SpirentFederal.com
jam 1   (jām)   
v.   jammed, jam·ming, jams

v.   tr.

  1. To drive or wedge forcibly into a tight position: jammed the cork in the bottle.

  2. To activate or apply (a brake) suddenly. Often used with on: jammed the brakes on.

  3. To cause (moving parts, for example) to lock into an unworkable position: jammed the typewriter keys.

    1. To pack (items, for example) to excess; cram: jammed my clothes into the suitcase.

    2. To fill (a container or space) to overflowing: I jammed the suitcase with clothes. Fans jammed the hallway after the concert.

  5. To block, congest, or clog: a drain that was jammed by debris.

  6. To crush or bruise: jam a finger.

  7. Electronics To interfere with or prevent the clear reception of (broadcast signals) by electronic means.

  8. Baseball To throw an inside pitch to (a batter), especially to prevent the batter from hitting the ball with the thicker part of the bat.

v.   intr.

  1. To become wedged or stuck.

  2. To become inoperable: The computer keyboard jammed.

  3. To force one's way into or through a limited space.

  4. Music To participate in a jam session.

  5. Basketball To make a dunk shot.

n.  

  1. The act of jamming or the condition of being jammed.

  2. A crush or congestion of people or things in a limited space: a traffic jam.

  3. A trying situation. See Synonyms at predicament.


[Origin unknown.]
jam'ma·ble adj., jam'mer n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
jam

  1. n.
    a problem; trouble. : I hear you're in a bad jam.
  2. in.
    [for musicians] to play together, improvising. : They jammed until the neighbors complained.
  3. tv. & in.
    to force a basketball into the basket; to slam dunka basketball. : He tried to jam it, but blew it.
  4. n.
    an act of forcing a basketball into the basket; a slam dunk. : The jam didn't work, and Fred's team rebounded the ball.
  5. in.
    to depart. : It's time to jam. Let's go.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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jamming

  1. mod.
    excellent. : This music is really jamming.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

jam  (v.)
"to press tightly," also "to become wedged," 1706, of unknown origin, perhaps a variant of champ (v.). Sense of "to cause interference in radio signals" is from 1914. Jazz noun meaning "short, free improvised passage performed by the whole band" dates from 1929, and yielded jam session (1933); perhaps from jam (n.) in sense of "something sweet, something excellent." Noun sense of "machine blockage" is from 1890, which probably led to the colloquial meaning "predicament," first recorded 1914.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

jam (jām)
v. jammed, jam·ming, jams

  1. To block, congest, or clog.

  2. To crush or bruise.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

jamming

in electronics, broadcasting a strong signal that overrides or obscures a target signal. Jamming of radio and television stations broadcasting from beyond borders may be carried out by a country that does not wish its citizens to receive programs from abroad. In military activities, jamming is frequently employed to confuse enemy radar or communications. The techniques of jamming are many and varied, but most of them simply consist of broadcasting a powerful radio signal, modulated with noise, on the precise frequency of the signal being jammed.

Learn more about jamming with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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