jet·ti·son
ˈje-tə-sən 
-zən
jettisoned; jettisoning; jettisons
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
Christopher Catling2
: to drop (cargo) to lighten a ship's load in time of distress
3
: to drop from an aircraft or spacecraft in flight
: 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.”
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
Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 6 June 2026
But the squad’s overall dip in performance—including back-to-back runner-up finishes in LaLiga and quarterfinal exits in the UEFA Champions League—has stoked unrest among fans, who have even collected almost 70 million signatures on a petition in favor of jettisoning the star forward out of Spain.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 4 June 2026
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Tax-loss harvesting, rebalancing Work with your financial advisor and your accountant to find holdings that might make sense to jettison, and draw up a plan to part with those assets in a tax-efficient manner.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jettison
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Verb
Five jettisoned from Arguijo-Mejia’s apartment, through his door, through the hallway wall, with three blasting into Ojeda’s kitchen.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 6 June 2026
But the squad’s overall dip in performance—including back-to-back runner-up finishes in LaLiga and quarterfinal exits in the UEFA Champions League—has stoked unrest among fans, who have even collected almost 70 million signatures on a petition in favor of jettisoning the star forward out of Spain.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 4 June 2026
Noun
Only, there are no 2018 World Series champions left to jettison.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Tax-loss harvesting, rebalancing Work with your financial advisor and your accountant to find holdings that might make sense to jettison, and draw up a plan to part with those assets in a tax-efficient manner.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jettison
Cite this Entry
“Jettison.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jettison. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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