What does jarful mean?
A jarful means the amount held by a jar, or loosely, the contents of one. It is normally used with “of”: “a jarful of jam,” “a jarful of coins,” or “a jarful of water.” Because the unit is already tied to a familiar container, the expression can convey a substantial, easily visualized quantity without requiring an exact measurement. Informally, “jarful” can also refer to a large amount of money, opportunities, or some other resource, as in “She has a jarful of ideas.” The expression is common in British and American English but tends to sound conversational rather than formal. Its plural may be written either jarfuls or jarsful, and the word is especially useful when the precise quantity is unimportant but the container’s scale helps the reader grasp it.
nounThe quantity contained in a jar; a jar's worth. Informally, it can also mean a large quantity of something.
- The amount or contents of one jar.
- Informally, a large quantity of something.
"She brought us a jarful of homemade preserves."
"He returned from the shop with a jarful of olives."
"The small business made a jarful of money during the festival."
Both plural forms are standard; jarfuls is perhaps the more straightforward, while jarsful reflects the full form of the compound.
"The volunteers carried several jarsful of water to the event."
One jarful can become two jarfuls—or two jarsful; the plural is unusually forgiving.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does jarful come from?
Jarful is an English compound formed from jar and the suffix -ful, meaning “full of.” The suffix ultimately derives from Old English full, and is also familiar in words such as helpful and mouthful. The compound arose from the straightforward idea of an amount sufficient to fill one jar.
Related word forms
How jarful is actually used
The literal sense is neutral but somewhat conversational. The figurative sense, as in a jarful of money, is informal and usually suggests an unusually large amount.