Jettison
— to get rid of something or someone that is not wanted or needed
Jettison means to throw or drop something from an aircraft, ship, or other vehicle, especially to lighten the load in an emergency. More broadly, it means to deliberately abandon, discard, or get rid of something that is no longer wanted or needed.
The word carries a sense of urgency and decisiveness — when you jettison something, you are not casually discarding it but deliberately throwing it overboard because keeping it is a liability. In figurative use, people jettison plans, ideas, relationships, or possessions that have become burdensome or counterproductive.
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Memory Mnemonic
JET I SON
The keyword JET I SON comes from how Jettison sounds when spoken aloud. This pronunciation connection makes it easy to recall the keyword whenever you hear or see the word.
Memory Link
From the JET, I threw my SON's old toys overboard—time to get rid of things not wanted or needed!
Picture yourself in a JET, and your SON's old toys are weighing the plane down — so you open the hatch and throw them all overboard, getting rid of everything not wanted or needed to keep the plane in the air. JET I SON gives you the keyword, and the image of deliberately throwing things out of an aircraft to lighten the load captures the meaning of jettison. Visualise the toys tumbling through the sky as the jet climbs higher, finally free of the unnecessary weight.
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Usage Examples
- The pilot was forced to jettison fuel before making the emergency landing.
- The company jettisoned its underperforming product line to focus on its core business.
- She jettisoned all her old textbooks after graduating, keeping only the ones she truly valued.
- The political party jettisoned its controversial policy position ahead of the election.
- In a bid to stay afloat, the sailors jettisoned cargo and supplies overboard during the storm.
Etymology of Jettison
From Anglo-French getteson, derived from Latin jactare, meaning "to throw." Originally a maritime legal term for goods thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress. The figurative sense of discarding anything unwanted developed naturally from this vivid image of throwing things off a sinking vessel.
Synonyms & Antonyms of Jettison
Synonyms
Antonyms
Common Collocations with Jettison
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