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Glite Dictionary
to jam up

to jam up

23 4.7
Become blocked so things cannot move or work
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
: atascarse
  • During rush hour, traffic can easily jam up on the highway, making it hard to reach our destination.
  • get jammed up
  • jamming up traffic
  • cars jammed up

They're, they're actually just, you know, they're, they're jamming up the gears, so to speak.

Examples

  • I hate to see anyone jammed up.

    Blog text (11)

  • It's just that the traffic always gets jammed up on the freeway.

    Blog text (7)

  • Sometimes these things just get jammed up you know?

    The Italian Job (2003)

  • Man, it's jammed up with traffic.

    August Rush (2007)

  • The traffic has jammed up to a walking pace.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I'm really scared the roads are going to get jammed up.

    Woodstock (1970)

  • Cars are jammed up.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • His machine's jammed up.

    Michael Clayton (2007)

  • They usually don't clear our people to stay here, but the town's jammed up and you're only here one night.

    Rock the Kasbah (2015)

  • This vital equipment for the distant fronts... is rushed across the continent... but finally jams up in the bottleneck of shipping.

    Victory Through Air Power (1943)

Synonyms

to jam
vsto jam up
112 4.4

Get stuck and stop moving or working

describes wider congestion that hinders normal movement or operation
to clog
vsto jam up
52 3.2

To block a pipe or passage so flow stops

focuses on hindering normal movement or operation rather than just flow
to clog up
vsto jam up
22 3.7

To block a drain or road so things cannot move through it

hinders normal movement or operation rather than only slowing flow
to seize up
vsto jam up
11 6.5

Stop working properly because of damage or lack of oil

refers to congestion that hinders movement rather than internal mechanical failure
to gum up
vsto jam up
  • Informal
8 7.2

To make moving parts stuck with dirt or glue so they stop working

describes the congested state that hinders normal movement or operation
to gridlock
vsto jam up
1 5.1

To cause a complete stop so vehicles cannot move or talks cannot progress

means congestion that hinders movement but not always a full standstill
to crap up
vsto jam up
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To become blocked or cause a block by dirt and grease

covers general congestion that hinders normal movement or operation

Antonyms

to clear
839 1.5

To remove people or things from a place

to unclog
10 3.2

To remove something blocking a pipe or drain so water can flow

How Blocked

to back up
20 4.0
to jam up
  • Informal
23 4.7
to slow down
893 1.4
to flow
213 1.6

Surface Forms

jam up infinitive
jammed up past
jammed up past participle
jamming up present participle
jams up third person singular

Morphology

jam + up

The meaning 'to become congested or blocked' is directly derivable from 'jam' (to seize, block, or stop moving) combined with the particle 'up', which here indicates a resultant or completed blocked state. This verb+particle construction is a common, predictable English pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb jam up comes from the picture of things being pushed or squeezed so tightly that they stop moving: a copier can have a paper jam or cars can pack up on a road. So, jam up means 'to become blocked' or 'to stop working'.