Words / C2

JET-isn/ˈdʒetɪsn/

To jettison is to throw something overboard so the rest can survive — now usually figurative: jettison a policy, jettison the old syllabus. Drop and scrap are everyday; abandon is close. The image is still of dumping weight in a crisis, so it is stronger than merely edit. In speech, get rid of or drop will do; jettison is journalistic and slightly dramatic. You jettison cargo or a plan, not a person you mildly dislike.

Meaning

To throw something away, especially because it is no longer wanted or is a burden.

Examples

• “They jettisoned the old syllabus.”
• “They jettisoned three optional modules to save the core course.”
• “When the merger failed, he jettisoned the expansion slides.”

Good to know

Throw overboard (often figurative). Stronger than drop. Everyday: scrap / get rid of. Journalistic.

Near in meaning

abandon

New