flotsam

noun

flot·​sam ˈflät-səm 

1

: floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo

broadly : floating debris

flotsam washed up by the tide

2

a

: a floating population (as of emigrants or castaways)

human flotsam

b

: miscellaneous or unimportant material

a notebook filled with flotsam and jetsam

c

: debris, remains

the village … built on the flotsam of war

—Stan Sesser

Did you know?

Flotsam and Jetsam Aren't Just Ursula's Eels

English speakers started using flotsam, jetsam, and lagan as legal terms in the 16th and 17th centuries (the earliest evidence of flotsam dates from around the early 1600s). The three words were used to establish claims of ownership to the three types of seaborne, vessel-originated goods they named. Flotsam was anything from a shipwreck (the word comes from Old French floter, meaning "to float"). Jetsam and lagan were items thrown overboard to lighten a ship. Lagan was distinguished from jetsam by having a buoy attached so the goods could be found if they sank. In the 19th century, when flotsam and jetsam took on extended meanings, they became synonyms, but they are still very often paired.

Synonyms

• ashes
• debris
• detritus
• remains
• residue
• rubble
• ruins
• wreck
• wreckage

Examples of flotsam in a Sentence

flotsam washed up on the shore

the dispirited family picked through the flotsam of their possessions after the hurricane, looking for anything that could be salvaged

Recent Examples on the Web

That Jia could make anything out of that flotsam and jetsam is astonishing, but his ability to not only recreate those time frames but craft all of it into a woozy, free-floating memory piece is miraculous. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2025

But that pick should be something the Kings can leverage, along with the second-round selections in some trade flotsam down the road. —Zach Harper, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025

Federal officials and experts are warning that the winds and floodwaters from Helene that wrecked the Southeast carry unscrupulous fraudsters amid the flotsam. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024

Investigating the Tracks' Origins In the study, the researchers assessed the viability of other potential explanations for the lines, including non-human animals, flotsam, the keel of ancient boats, and firewood. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French floteson, from floter to float, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English flotian to float, flota ship

First Known Use

circa 1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

flotsam

noun

flot·​sam ˈflät-səm 

: floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo

Legal Definition

flotsam

noun

flot·​sam ˈflät-səm 

: floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo compare jetsam