bottleneck 1 of 3

noun

Definition of bottlenecknext
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

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bottleneck

2 of 3

adjective

as in linear

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

bottleneck

3 of 3

verb

as in to dam

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bottleneck
Noun
But once those basics are in place, identity can be the hidden bottleneck. — Will Drover, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026 Producing sufficient active ingredients for millions of patients to take oral weight loss pills daily is a major manufacturing bottleneck. — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
The demand for slots skyrocketed and the auction prices ballooned in recent weeks as a standoff between the Iran and the United States over access to the strait kept traffic bottlenecked. — Alma Solís, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Yet, sparse computations on the CPU are often bottlenecked by the indirect lookups used to find nonzero data. — Olivia Hsu, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bottleneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottleneck
  1. jam
  2. linear
  3. dam
  4. congestion
  5. compressed
  6. clog
  7. tight
  8. hinder
Noun
  • The inside is lined with a spread like Nutella, cookie butter, strawberry jam or peanut butter, then filled with soft serve and finished with fruit, drizzles and toppings.
    — Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The menu seems to change, but for now, there’s a Hellraiser for a person who’s a bit of a heat-seeker with bacon, blue cheese, mozzarella and jalapeno-pistachio jam.
    — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of jam
Adjective
  • Broadcasters of all sizes, especially local station owners, have been battling cord-cutting and coping with ongoing audience and advertiser shifts away from linear viewing.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Or have there been unintended consequences from disconnecting from linear cable?
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of linear
Verb
  • The drug boat campaign is the equivalent of trying to dam a river with a sheet of plywood.
    — Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • And although bipartisan Congressional efforts have pushed back on some of the deepest cuts, damage was still done, damming the flow of funding, halting experiments, delaying new research, and impeding the work of scientists worldwide.
    — Eric Schmidt, Time, 16 July 2026
Definition of dam
Noun
  • That could further reduce the canal's transit capacity and exacerbate congestion across global shipping routes.
    — , CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026
  • These improvements will reduce congestion, improve freight movement, and strengthen Kane County’s connections to the regional and national economy.
    — Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of congestion
Adjective
  • During times of high prices and compressed returns, retail investors are battling for the same crowded crumbs in the public stock market.
    — Justin Donald, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In a busy cafe environment, the buds successfully eliminate most of the background noise, but my voice becomes more compressed and less intelligible.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of compressed
Verb
  • Pour a cup of white vinegar down your AC’s condensate drain twice a year to fend off algae and avoid clogging.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The same motions repeat across the spring as men pull out algae, muck, weeds, and plastic waste clogging the streambed.
    — Umar Farooq, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of clog
Adjective
  • Mexico holds over 140 Tcf (trillion cubic feet) of unconventional gas resources, mostly in northern shale or tight sand basins.
    — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Amid tight security, Najib stood inside a cage wearing a prisoner’s uniform as the judge read the sentence.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of tight
Verb
  • Yet, his need to send the company out in grand fashion is hindered by stuffing his own script like a duck due to become foie gras.
    — Charles Lewis III, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Unlike guilt, which encourages improvement, shame fosters a belief of personal inadequacy, hindering learning.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of hinder

Browse Nearby Words

bottle-feeds
bottleneck
bottlenecked
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Cite this Entry

“Bottleneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottleneck. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bottleneck for Spanish Speakers

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