jettison

verb jet·ti·son \ ˈje-tə-sən , -zən \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of jettison

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

play \ˈje-tə-sə-nə-bəl, -zə-\ adjective

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Examples of jettison in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of jettison from the Web

At the two-minute mark, the booster rockets are jettisoned.

— dennis hohenberger, Courant Community, "Astronaut Visits New England Air Museum," 17 Apr. 2018
With all the backstory and drama clearly leading up to an epic battle royal between the two principles, all the details that don’t help build this narrative can be jettisoned.

— corey seymour, Vogue, "Borg Vs. McEnroe Is The Tennis Movie We’ve Been Waiting For," 13 Apr. 2018
However, there have been rumors and rumblings for weeks Vogel could get jettisoned and perhaps replaced by former NBA star Jerry Stackhouse, a hot coaching candidate who led Toronto’s G-League team to a championship last year.

— mike bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Frank Vogel doesn't deserve to be fired by the Orlando Magic," 12 Apr. 2018
Over the course of the last two months, Veach has jettisoned a Pro Bowl quarterback (Alex Smith) and two team icons (linebackers Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson), all in the name of getting younger and clearing salary-cap space.

— terez a. paylor, kansascity, "Five positions the Chiefs could upgrade before the 2018 season | The Kansas City Star," 26 Mar. 2018
Big foreign rivals such as Germany’s Thyssenkrupp AG and Russia’s OAO Severstal also cut back or jettisoned U.S. operations.

— rhiannon hoyle, WSJ, "Winning at Tariffs: Be From an Exempted Nation and Produce in the U.S.," 24 Mar. 2018
Orlando City SC has jettisoned anyone who — presumably — didn’t buy into what Kreis wanted for this club and now players have their eyes set on a solid year.

— jordan culver, Pro Soccer USA, "Five things we learned during Orlando City preseason," 3 Mar. 2018
The new rules will not jettison any of the categories but will enable states to allow fewer doctors visits, for example, or to cover fewer prescription drugs.

— author: amy goldstein, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump administration rewrites ACA insurance rules to give more power to states," 10 Apr. 2018
The new rules will not jettison any of the categories but will enable states to allow fewer doctors visits, for example, or to cover fewer prescription drugs.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Revised ACA insurance rules shift more power to states," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jettison.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of jettison

see ²jettison

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1848

in the meaning defined at sense 2

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jettison Synonyms

Phrases

dispose of, set aside;

Other Nautical Terms

avast, aweigh, flotsam, jib, keel, lee, port, starboard, stay

jettison

noun

Definition of jettison

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

Examples of jettison in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of jettison from the Web

During this process, sea lampreys jettison about 20 percent of their genome during embryonic development.

— diana gitig, Ars Technica, "Odd vertebrate gets rid of hundreds of genes early in development," 28 Jan. 2018
Suddenly, from the far reaches of my mind, the legal jargon jettisons to the surface.

— whitney ellenby, Washington Post, "Bystanders were horrified. But my son has autism, and I was desperate.," 27 Feb. 2018
The measure slashes corporate and individual income tax rates and jettisons numerous tax breaks Americans and businesses have used for years to limit their costs, my colleagues Damian Paletta and Mike DeBonis report.

— paige winfield cunningham, Washington Post, "The Health 202: If the GOP really wanted to repeal key parts of Obamacare, they could use their tax plan to do it," 3 Nov. 2017
The Parallax View incorporates this tendency but jettisons whatever was specifically political about it.

— art simon, Slate Magazine, "In The Parallax View, Conspiracy Goes All the Way to the Top—and Beyond," 21 July 2017

The Origin of jettison

Jettison comes from the Anglo-French noun geteson, meaning "action of throwing," and is ultimately from the Latin verb jactare, meaning "to throw." The noun jettison ("a voluntary sacrifice of cargo to lighten a ship's load in time of distress") entered English in the 15th century; the verb has been with us since the 19th century. The noun is also the source of the word jetsam ("jettisoned goods"), which is often paired with flotsam ("floating wreckage"). These days you don't have to be on a sinking ship to jettison something. In addition to literally "throwing overboard," jettison means simply "to get rid of." You might jettison some old magazines that are cluttering your house, or you might make a plan but jettison it at the last minute.

Origin and Etymology of jettison

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

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