1. goods or cargo thrown overboard from a ship to lighten it in an emergency
Usage: nautical; often used in the phrase 'flotsam and jetsam'
2. discarded or unwanted items; rubbish or debris
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The sailors threw jetsam overboard to keep the ship afloat during the storm.
• The beach was covered with jetsam after the shipwreck.
• The attic was filled with jetsam from decades of accumulated possessions.
• Flotsam and jetsam washed up on the shore after the hurricane.
• She sorted through the jetsam in her garage, deciding what to keep and what to donate.
• The old furniture was just jetsam waiting to be hauled away.