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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to dam
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bottleneck
ArsTechnica, 6 May 2025
Speakers said that many of the short-term projects are almost by necessity going to be renewable — such as solar energy with battery storage — because of the rapid fall in price for those systems, and the recent bottleneck of supply chains that supply parts for gas power plants.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 6 May 2025
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2013
To compare pre- and post-bottleneck genetic diversity, the researchers sequenced DNA from 1,000-year-old penguin bones on the island.
—Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 22 Feb. 2012
Conor Feehly, Scientific American, 4 Mar. 2025
Many trade allies and contractors lack the labor needed to meet project demand, causing workforce bottlenecks that impact both urban and rural economies.
—Brynn Cooksey, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottleneck
Noun
For tech companies struggling to secure reliable energy supplies to power and train AI, a clampdown on renewables could create power bottlenecks, drive up costs, and push operators towards dirtier energy, experts said.
—ArsTechnica, 6 May 2025
Speakers said that many of the short-term projects are almost by necessity going to be renewable — such as solar energy with battery storage — because of the rapid fall in price for those systems, and the recent bottleneck of supply chains that supply parts for gas power plants.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 6 May 2025
Adjective
The impact of the pre-bottleneck period is attenuated, because much of the population was simply not genetically sampled.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2013
To compare pre- and post-bottleneck genetic diversity, the researchers sequenced DNA from 1,000-year-old penguin bones on the island.
—Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 22 Feb. 2012
Verb
Consequently, relative to other elements concentrations of oxygen would have still been low, potentially bottlenecking water’s ready formation.
—Conor Feehly, Scientific American, 4 Mar. 2025
Many trade allies and contractors lack the labor needed to meet project demand, causing workforce bottlenecks that impact both urban and rural economies.
—Brynn Cooksey, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottleneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottleneck
Noun
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Explore Rihanna See latest videos, charts and news This week, Rihanna unveils a summer Smurf jam, Morgan Wallen pulls back the curtain and Jin continues his solo momentum.—
Jason Lipshutz,
Billboard,
16 May 2025
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Creators have found dozens of ways to repurpose empty jam and jelly jars, affectionately referring to their collection of glass vessels as a jam jar army.—
Emily Williams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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And many are even expecting an uptick in ad rates (also known as CPMs and reflecting the cost of reaching 1,000 viewers) tied to linear cable and broadcast.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
11 May 2025
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Sam’s career path from corporate attorney to online entrepreneur was anything but linear.—
Omaid Homayun,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2025
Verb
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The original trail had long since been dammed and flooded by beavers, which had arrived in the 1940s after a disastrous idea by the Argentine government to start a fur trade.—
Olivia James,
Outside Online,
24 Apr. 2025
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Trump tried to install the laughably unfit Matt Gaetz as U.S. attorney general, one step ahead of a damming House Ethics Committee report.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Vanney started with a back five defensive shape in an effort to give his team a solid base to play from and clog the midfield.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
11 May 2025
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The Orioles clogged the bases with at least a runner on for each of his five innings.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2025
Verb
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This discrepancy hindered the adoption of BI, which might further damage AI by generating models that are trained with false assumptions and generate erroneous predictions.—
Artyom Keydunov,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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Starring Frank Dillane, the film — which was already generating buzz before Cannes — follows a troubled but charming young man on the streets of London whose efforts to get his life in order are hindered by his own self-destructive tendencies.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Operational friction, fulfilment risk, and a need to rebalance sourcing, inventory, and vendor strategies in a compressed timeline.—
Jill Standish,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
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The New Mexico senator said the compressed general election campaign schedule hurt Harris’s chances.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
4 May 2025
Verb
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Although more research is required to prove it, the study suggests that blocking cancer cells from using taurine for growth could be one way to treat leukemia, Bajaj explained.—
Jamie Ducharme,
Health,
20 May 2025
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These measures include opting in to messages from a business and blocking chats with a click.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Verb
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On April 16, the Department of Homeland Security threatened to impede Harvard’s ability to enroll students from abroad – an unprecedented move that would devastate the campus if the White House moved forward with it.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
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As previously ordered, Apple will not impede competition.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bottleneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottleneck. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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