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
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
Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
This gap creates a serious bottleneck.
—New Atlas, 30 May 2026
Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 26 Apr. 2026
The real-world difference is how snappy everything feels when your storage doesn’t bottleneck your system.
—Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottleneck
Noun
Survivor accounts blamed ropes not being fixed in advance and a bottleneck created by slower climbers for delaying the ascent.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
This gap creates a serious bottleneck.
—New Atlas, 30 May 2026
Verb
Additionally, while the software framework has already been validated on current industrial robots, its deployment in more sensitive fields like medicine is currently bottlenecked by hardware limitations.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 26 Apr. 2026
The real-world difference is how snappy everything feels when your storage doesn’t bottleneck your system.
—Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottleneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottleneck
Noun
-
The senior escaped several jams to toss a five-hitter with 12 strikeouts to lead JSerra past La Mirada 3-2 for its first section title.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
Pizza is already savory, so balance out all that salt with a drizzle of balsamic glaze or spoonfuls of fig jam.—
Lizzy Briskin,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
According to the Nielsen 2025 Global Sports Marketing Report, younger sports audiences are consuming content across fragmented digital ecosystems rather than through traditional linear television alone.—
Ian Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
During Disney’s most recent quarterly report in early May, the company’s entertainment segment reported that streaming revenue offset declines in both linear affiliate fees and advertising.—
Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The nine-hole golf course opened in 1908, the same year the city’s first outdoor swimming pool at the park was created by damming up Tyler Creek.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2026
-
Responders are establishing diking and damming measures to divert the potential fluid down a grade into a commercial holding area.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority has found that ride-hailing services accounted for about half of the rise in congestion in San Francisco between 2010 and 2016.—
David Roberts,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Independent of all the planet congestion in the early evening, a transition is happening, from spring to summer stars and constellations.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Even the subsequent progress beyond Zrinjski and AEK Larnaca in the knockout stages felt vaguely underwhelming, as teams continued to sit deep and clog up the play.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
LinkedIn is experiencing the same deluge of AI slop that’s clogging most social media platforms and the internet in general.—
William Arruda,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Undeterred, the siblings set off on a perilous journey, helped and hindered by both natural and supernatural elements along the way.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
Last year, probation officials began requiring CLERB to seek court approval before obtaining records in cases involving juveniles — a process former CLERB officials and advocates described as hindering meaningful oversight.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Vocals sound crisp and defined, but the mids in the track, including the synth melody and the thumping electronic beat, come across slightly compressed and flat.—
Kimberly Gedeon,
PC Magazine,
28 May 2026
-
The Leadership Skill That Matters Now The hardest part of this transition to more compressed timelines is knowing when to stop.—
Lior Weinstein,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Cans block harmful light better than bottles, whose long necks can allow light and oxygen that speed up aging.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
-
The acid also blocks tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in melanin production that can become overactive due to the body’s inflammatory response during a shingles infection.—
Alyssa Sparacino,
Glamour,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bottleneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottleneck. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
