as in jam
a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement
a bottleneck inevitably forms at the start of a construction zone when the highway narrows from three to two lanes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in linear
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in to dam
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bottleneck
Ian King, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
The Legislature is bogged down in a bottleneck of bills and even key GOP priorities like finding a way to cut property taxes, haven’t cleared both chambers.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
Given their constraints, the most plausible near-term roles are simple, repetitive, or hazardous tasks in structured spaces, moving totes, staging parts, and monitoring routine operations, where their slower pace or limited dexterity won’t bottleneck the entire line.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottleneck
Noun
That speed is critical for AI systems, which must move enormous amounts of data without bottlenecks.
—Ian King, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
The Legislature is bogged down in a bottleneck of bills and even key GOP priorities like finding a way to cut property taxes, haven’t cleared both chambers.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
The real-world difference is how snappy everything feels when your storage doesn’t bottleneck your system.
—Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
Given their constraints, the most plausible near-term roles are simple, repetitive, or hazardous tasks in structured spaces, moving totes, staging parts, and monitoring routine operations, where their slower pace or limited dexterity won’t bottleneck the entire line.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottleneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottleneck
Noun
-
My Proustian madeleine is a sandwich comprised of walnut butter, cream cheese, and Medjool date jam slathered on thick slices of black bread.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Prepared horseradish, onion jam, and Dijon mustard add a flavorful zing to your classic roast beef sandwich.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The linear blooms provide a contrast in form to rounded roses, while the foliage brings airy texture.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Jean is an enthralling account of an artist learning to be less precious about linear healing and emotions that don’t lend themselves to that process.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tenuously held back by moraines – the jumble of rock and sediment deposited by glaciers at their edges – or dammed by glacier ice, these lakes are anything but stable.—
Dan McGrath,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Plants can regenerate, since the beavers have dammed up the water to keep some for their little ecosystem.—
Katie Grant,
Parents,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On March 1, Nhava Sheva’s congestion levels were just 10 percent.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Waxhaw town commissioners on Tuesday are expected to designate funds toward upgrades to a major road that aim to improve traffic congestion and pedestrian safety in downtown.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tephra also can clog and cause other problems with water catchment collection systems, which are common in some parts of the Big Island, officials said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The auditorium at The Highland Center hosts everything from energetic clogging groups to toe-tapping bluegrass bands for a $5 entry fee (or with the festival keychain).—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
California law restricts when local enforcement can coordinate with ICE in making such arrests, and federal officials and Republicans have assailed the policy for hindering immigration enforcement.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Many Gulf desalination plants are physically integrated with power stations as co‑generation facilities, meaning attacks on electrical infrastructure could also hinder water production.—
Annika Hammerschlag,
Fortune,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Your rightness would earn you a compressed, airless, spiky situation, like the one your parents had.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Wise’s essential deployment of tension is absent without the compressed grain that elevates it.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Israeli military later posted a second message in Farsi, noting the head of Iran's judiciary was at the rally and criticizing Iran for blocking many from seeing their warning, as authorities in Iran have almost completely shut down internet access.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Opponents sued to block enforcement the same year the law was enacted, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals let most of it go into effect.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bottleneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottleneck. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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