use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

jam 1 (jăm)
Share:
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.
a. To cause to become unworkable because a part is stuck: The wrinkled paper jammed the copying machine.
b. To cause (moving parts, for example) to lock into an unworkable position: jammed the typewriter keys.
4.
a. To pack (items, for example) to excess; cram: jammed my clothes into the suitcase.
b. 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: The coin jammed in the slot.
2. To become locked or stuck in an unworkable position: The computer keyboard jammed.
3. To force one's way into or through a limited space: We all jammed into the elevator.
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.]

jamma·ble adj.
jammer n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.