jamming

[jam] Origin

jam

1[jam] verb, jammed, jam·ming, noun
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.
EXPAND
6.
to put or place in position with a violent gesture (often followed 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.
COLLAPSE
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.

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Jamming is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
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.

Origin:
1700–10; apparently imitative; compare champ1, dam1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
jamming (ˈdʒæmɪŋ)
 
n
mountaineering a rock-climbing technique in which holds are got by wedging the hands and feet in suitable cracks

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

jam
"fruit preserve," 1730s, probably a special use of jam (v.) with a sense of "crush fruit into a preserve."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
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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Slang Dictionary

jam definition


  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 definition


  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.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
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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