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 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
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 WebChris Megerian, Fortune, 8 May 2024
Remarkably, the original smog equipment on the Cobra Jet engine is intact, a rarity considering that most emissions plumbing was promptly jettisoned by performance-minded owners in the day.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 6 May 2024
Maybe jettisoning chunks of the genome is a defense against the random effects of drift.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 May 2024
In recent years, though, universities have taken progressive political positions on domestic issues, and neutrality has been jettisoned.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
The question is whether the Myanmar military will jettison Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, its supreme commander, if he is judged to be an impediment to the armed forces’ survival — Myanmar’s history is filled with military men being pushed aside for other military men.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
In 2022, 2023 and so far in 2024, tech companies have disclosed plans to jettison well over 38,000 jobs in the Bay Area, according to this news organization’s review of hundreds of WARN filings posted by the state EDD.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Vampire Weekend: Only God Was Above Us [Columbia] Vampire Weekend’s return is a stock-taking of their past themes and glories, as well as a revival of some signature sounds jettisoned on its eclectic predecessor, Father of the Bride.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 5 Apr. 2024
The haul — a 2.9-ton pallet of old nickel-hydrogen batteries — was the heaviest object ever jettisoned from the ISS when it was flung into space in March 2021, Gizmodo reported.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 6 May 2024
But the fact is that Silicon Valley investors are often prepared to jettison founders if they are felt not to have the skills to move beyond running a start-up to heading a much larger and more complicated entity.
—Roger Trapp, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
Hot staging comes two seconds later with the simultaneous ignition of the Starship upper stage and jettison of the Super Heavy booster.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023
Sarafin ticked off all of the launch accomplishments including all of the separation events for the rocket including the boosters, fairings, jettison of the launch abort system, shutdown the four RS-25 engines and jettison of the core stage.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 17 Nov. 2022
There’s physical freedom and authenticity: Charlotte jettisons shapewear and lets her belly hang out in an adorable new dress.
—Vicki Shabo, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Aug. 2023
And there are the older restaurant’s original chairs, which designer Becky Carter decided to restore rather than jettison for newer pieces.
—Bebe Howorth, ELLE Decor, 31 July 2023
Hire back your engineers, focus on what works and jettison what doesn’t.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2023
But the deal jettisons many top conservative priorities contained in a bill passed by the House last month: deeper spending cuts, elimination of billions in funding for new IRS agents and a rollback of green energy incentives intended to tackle climate change.
—Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 30 May 2023
Verb
Because of Manchin’s resistance, several proposals involving the care economy were jettisoned to create the more limited Inflation Reduction Act, which focused on addressing climate change and the cost of prescription drugs.
—Chris Megerian, Fortune, 8 May 2024
Remarkably, the original smog equipment on the Cobra Jet engine is intact, a rarity considering that most emissions plumbing was promptly jettisoned by performance-minded owners in the day.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 6 May 2024
Maybe jettisoning chunks of the genome is a defense against the random effects of drift.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 May 2024
In recent years, though, universities have taken progressive political positions on domestic issues, and neutrality has been jettisoned.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
The question is whether the Myanmar military will jettison Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, its supreme commander, if he is judged to be an impediment to the armed forces’ survival — Myanmar’s history is filled with military men being pushed aside for other military men.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
In 2022, 2023 and so far in 2024, tech companies have disclosed plans to jettison well over 38,000 jobs in the Bay Area, according to this news organization’s review of hundreds of WARN filings posted by the state EDD.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Vampire Weekend: Only God Was Above Us [Columbia] Vampire Weekend’s return is a stock-taking of their past themes and glories, as well as a revival of some signature sounds jettisoned on its eclectic predecessor, Father of the Bride.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 5 Apr. 2024
The haul — a 2.9-ton pallet of old nickel-hydrogen batteries — was the heaviest object ever jettisoned from the ISS when it was flung into space in March 2021, Gizmodo reported.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
In the lunar junkyard, Manure Mountain is actually just the beginning: The jettison list also includes two hammocks, five American flags, and an array of equipment that had fulfilled its duty.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 6 May 2024
But the fact is that Silicon Valley investors are often prepared to jettison founders if they are felt not to have the skills to move beyond running a start-up to heading a much larger and more complicated entity.
—Roger Trapp, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
Hot staging comes two seconds later with the simultaneous ignition of the Starship upper stage and jettison of the Super Heavy booster.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023
Sarafin ticked off all of the launch accomplishments including all of the separation events for the rocket including the boosters, fairings, jettison of the launch abort system, shutdown the four RS-25 engines and jettison of the core stage.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 17 Nov. 2022
There’s physical freedom and authenticity: Charlotte jettisons shapewear and lets her belly hang out in an adorable new dress.
—Vicki Shabo, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Aug. 2023
And there are the older restaurant’s original chairs, which designer Becky Carter decided to restore rather than jettison for newer pieces.
—Bebe Howorth, ELLE Decor, 31 July 2023
Hire back your engineers, focus on what works and jettison what doesn’t.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2023
But the deal jettisons many top conservative priorities contained in a bill passed by the House last month: deeper spending cuts, elimination of billions in funding for new IRS agents and a rollback of green energy incentives intended to tackle climate change.
—Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 30 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jettison.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near jettison
Cite this Entry
“Jettison.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jettison. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
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