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 Anglo-French geteson, which means literally "action of throwing" and is related to 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 it is the source of the word jetsam (the name for goods "jettisoned"); the 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

• cashier
• cast (off)
• chuck
• deep-six
• discard
• ditch
• dump
• eighty-six
• 86
• exorcise
• exorcize
• fling (off or away)
• junk
• lay by
• lose
• pitch
• reject
• scrap
• shed
• shuck (off)
• slough (off)
• sluff (off)
• throw away
• throw out
• toss
• unload

Noun

• discarding
• disposal
• disposition
• dumping
• junking
• removal
• riddance
• scrapping
• throwing away

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

Once the deorbit burn is complete, Starliner will jettison the service module to burn up in the atmosphere, and its crew module will use a different set of thrusters to guide its reentry. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 15 Aug. 2024

This situation was repeated two more times during our stay: The host’s portions were jettisoned back into a bowl, refrigerated, and served for another meal. —Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024

Noun

In the second part of the play, published in 1832, Goethe jettisons the orthodox punishments of the canonical accounts and has Faust sweetly ascend to Heaven: in the nineteenth century, the old theology is becoming romantically weightless. —James Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024

In August of 2024, the Democrat kingmakers jettison Joe Biden and parachute in Michelle Obama. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 June 2024

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