jettison
1 of 2verb
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
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
jettisonable
ˈje-tə-sə-nə-bəl
adjective -zə-
jettison
2 of 2noun
: a voluntary sacrifice of cargo to lighten a ship's load in time of distress
Did you know?
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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Ashley Strickland, CNN, 28 Aug. 2022 In the past week, another event has come along to confirm this framework – the attempt by Boris Johnson’s government to jettison the Northern Irish Protocol, an action that would effectively undercut the Good Friday Agreement. Mike O'sullivan, Forbes, 18 June 2022 Although he was once tipped for the Standing Committee, Mr. Li’s unpopularity over his management of a punishing lockdown in Shanghai might prompt Mr. Xi to jettison him in order to salvage his own credibility, Dr. Sun suggests. Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 May 2022 Investors shouldn’t jettison their long-term strategy based on a temporary economic downturn. Jaime Catmull, Forbes, 29 June 2022 Kagan, for her part, did question whether the Biden administration had erred by maneuvering to quickly jettison the Trump-era rule rather than going through a longer process. Jessica Gresko, ajc, 23 Feb. 2022 But overcommitting yourself can backfire rapidly and ultimately jettison your hopes of being seen as valuable by your peers and managers. William Arruda, Forbes, 26 May 2022 When, after the Georgia conflict in 2008, Russia tried to revamp its military, the idea was to jettison the rigidly centralized, Soviet-era army that could supposedly muster four million troops in no time. New York Times, 16 May 2022 You jettison those that fail and start building a portfolio of success and fail stories. John Sabo, Forbes, 2 May 2022 Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 3 May 2022 Will the new Vikings general manager kickstart a rebuild and jettison quarterback Kirk Cousins, who carries a $45 million cap hit next season? C.j. Doon, baltimoresun.com, 11 Jan. 2022 Such anemic demand means that anything less than a robust rebound over the coming months will prompt airlines to cut more employees, jettison older aircraft, and cut more salaries, which in turn could persuade more workers to depart. Justin Bachman, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Apr. 2020 In Barrie’s version, Wendy is soon cooking and caring for the boys, sidelined by the period conventions that Zeitlin thoroughly jettisons. Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2020 In her loose adaptation of The Witch of Edmonton, written by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker and John Ford, Silverman reworks subplots and jettisons period dialogue for contemporary vernacular. Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Aug. 2019 In Rocket Lab’s design, its Electron rocket jettisons its payload and then begins to fall back toward Earth. Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, 15 Aug. 2019 When the jettison button is pushed, a Cartridge Activated Device drops the tank. San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2019 Powered by a single AAA battery, Quip jettisons much of the baggage of more complicated brushes, including the charging system, providing instead a streamlined (and quite attractive) wand with a vibrating, replaceable head. Christopher Null, WIRED, 6 June 2019 See More
Verb
The third engine is used to jettison the launch abort system, which occurs shortly after launch if all goes well. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 28 Aug. 2022 In the past week, another event has come along to confirm this framework – the attempt by Boris Johnson’s government to jettison the Northern Irish Protocol, an action that would effectively undercut the Good Friday Agreement. Mike O'sullivan, Forbes, 18 June 2022 Although he was once tipped for the Standing Committee, Mr. Li’s unpopularity over his management of a punishing lockdown in Shanghai might prompt Mr. Xi to jettison him in order to salvage his own credibility, Dr. Sun suggests. Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 May 2022 Investors shouldn’t jettison their long-term strategy based on a temporary economic downturn. Jaime Catmull, Forbes, 29 June 2022 Kagan, for her part, did question whether the Biden administration had erred by maneuvering to quickly jettison the Trump-era rule rather than going through a longer process. Jessica Gresko, ajc, 23 Feb. 2022 But overcommitting yourself can backfire rapidly and ultimately jettison your hopes of being seen as valuable by your peers and managers. William Arruda, Forbes, 26 May 2022 When, after the Georgia conflict in 2008, Russia tried to revamp its military, the idea was to jettison the rigidly centralized, Soviet-era army that could supposedly muster four million troops in no time. New York Times, 16 May 2022 You jettison those that fail and start building a portfolio of success and fail stories. John Sabo, Forbes, 2 May 2022 Noun
After the early jettison of the Electron booster, Rocket Lab’s recovery ship retrieved the stage for analysis on shore. Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 3 May 2022 Will the new Vikings general manager kickstart a rebuild and jettison quarterback Kirk Cousins, who carries a $45 million cap hit next season? C.j. Doon, baltimoresun.com, 11 Jan. 2022 Such anemic demand means that anything less than a robust rebound over the coming months will prompt airlines to cut more employees, jettison older aircraft, and cut more salaries, which in turn could persuade more workers to depart. Justin Bachman, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Apr. 2020 In Barrie’s version, Wendy is soon cooking and caring for the boys, sidelined by the period conventions that Zeitlin thoroughly jettisons. Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2020 In her loose adaptation of The Witch of Edmonton, written by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker and John Ford, Silverman reworks subplots and jettisons period dialogue for contemporary vernacular. Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Aug. 2019 In Rocket Lab’s design, its Electron rocket jettisons its payload and then begins to fall back toward Earth. Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, 15 Aug. 2019 When the jettison button is pushed, a Cartridge Activated Device drops the tank. San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2019 Powered by a single AAA battery, Quip jettisons much of the baggage of more complicated brushes, including the charging system, providing instead a streamlined (and quite attractive) wand with a vibrating, replaceable head. Christopher Null, WIRED, 6 June 2019 See More 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
Kids Definition
jettison
verb
jet·ti·son ˈje-tə-sən
jettisoned; jettisoning
: to throw out especially from a ship or an airplane Cargo was jettisoned.
jettisoning 1 of 2
noun
as in dumping
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dumping
- discard
- forsaking
- defection
- tergiversation
- abandonment
- desertion
- dereliction
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reclamation
- retention
- retrieval
- recoupment
- repossession
jettisoning
2 of 2verb
as in discarding
to get rid of as useless or unwanted just jettison that plan, because we know it won't work Synonyms & Similar Words
- discarding
- ditching
- dumping
- unloading
- losing
- abandoning
- rejecting
- shedding
- scrapping
- removing
- chucking
- tossing
- exorcising
- junking
- eliminating
- dismissing
- forsaking
- deep-sixing
- exorcizing
- cashiering
- abolishing
- throwing away
- abdicating
- disposing of
- 86ing
- pitching
- laying by
- deserting
- throwing out
- eighty-sixing
- setting aside
- sluffing (off)
- eradicating
- sloughing (off)
- flinging (off or away)
- casting (off)
- expunging
- shucking (off)
- extinguishing
- liquidating
- extirpating
- annihilating
- exterminating
- kicking out
- wiping out
- stamping (out)
- rooting (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- adopting
- embracing
- using
- employing
- utilizing
- retaining
- holding
- keeping
- taking on
- holding back