jettison

1 of 2

verb

jet·​ti·​son ˈje-tə-sən 

-zən

jettisoned; jettisoning; jettisons

transitive verb

1

: to get rid of as superfluous or encumbering : omit or forgo as part of a plan or as the result of some other decision

must be prepared to jettison many romantic notions

—Christopher Catling

2

: to drop (cargo) to lighten a ship's load in time of distress

3

: to drop from an aircraft or spacecraft in flight

jettisonable

ˈje-tə-sə-nə-bəl 

-zə-

adjective

jettison

2 of 2

noun

: a voluntary sacrifice of cargo to lighten a ship's load in time of distress

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The Origin of Jettison

Jettison comes from the Anglo-French noun geteson (literally “action of throwing”), and ultimately from the Latin verb jactare, meaning “to throw.” The noun jettison refers to a voluntary sacrifice of cargo to lighten a ship’s load in time of distress, and is the source of the word jetsam, the word for goods that are so jettisoned; that word is often paired with flotsam (“floating wreckage”). These days you don’t have to be on a sinking ship to jettison something: the verb also means simply “to get rid of.”

Synonyms

Verb

• discard
• dump
• unload
• ditch
• lose

Noun

• removal
• disposal
• dumping

Examples of jettison in a Sentence

Verb

The captain gave orders to jettison the cargo.

They jettisoned the fuel and made an emergency landing.

We should jettison these old computers and get new ones.

They jettisoned plans for a vacation.

Noun

with his ship rapidly sinking, the captain ordered a last-ditch jettison of much of its cargo

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

There was a group of men, all of them in fear of retribution from the Union, who were jettisoning for Mexico, to build a life that accorded with their beliefs and to seek great fortune while doing so. —Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025

Martel jettisons multiple drones into the sky overlooking the Chuschagasta native landscape in northern Argentina, acquiring the effect first of zoomed-in satellite footage, then of something more voyeuristic and frightening, adopting the viewpoint of colonialism itself. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025

Noun

The tower and fairing assembly, which fit over Orion like a protective shell, include thrusters for abort and jettison of the spacecraft, as well as attitude control (steering) for anomalies that require the spacecraft be quickly and safely separated from SLS. —Josh Dinner, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025

These changes include severable mechanical and fluid connections for the engine section to jettison from the rocket, plus a heat shield and parachute to safely bring the engines back for an ocean recovery downrange from the launch pad. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English jetteson, from Anglo-French geteson, literally, action of throwing, from Latin jactation-, jactatio, from jactare — more at jet

First Known Use

Verb

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

jettison

verb

jet·​ti·​son

ˈjet-ə-sən,

-ə-zən

1

: to throw goods overboard from a ship or aircraft especially to lighten it in distress

2

: discard entry 1 sense 2

jettison noun