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.
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Recent Examples of bottleneck
Zev Fima, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026
BlackRock’s Larry Fink has echoed these concerns, singling out the electrical industry as a looming bottleneck.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 21 Jan. 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
By reducing the nursing bottleneck, hospitals can see more patients more quickly.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026
BlackRock’s Larry Fink has echoed these concerns, singling out the electrical industry as a looming bottleneck.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 21 Jan. 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
-
The experience also includes a selection of finger sandwiches, including options like coronation Hmong chicken or traditional bánh mì, as well as pastries and cakes, scones with jam and clotted cream, and a cheese and charcuterie platter.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The current law only allows the sale of homemade bread, jams, spices, honey, pickles, nuts, and other foods that do not need to be refrigerated.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Are the linear components similar?—
Jon Wilner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
In all, about 3,200 hours of coverage will air, of which a record 700 hours will be on linear TV.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Designed for a valley miles away from the Sacramento River, the reservoir would pump water through an underground pipe connecting to the river, rather than damming and trapping its water supply.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
17 Jan. 2026
-
The more Austinites have expanded the surface area of lakes — by damming up the Colorado River with various degrees of success from 1893 to 1960 — the more moisture was available to evaporate into the air.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And as advanced economies struggle with aging grids, slow permitting, and regulatory congestion, India is positioning itself as the scaling ground where the next wave of AI infrastructure gets built.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Traders should jump the gun a bit on risk management and use $65 as a pivot - the old congestion levels from the fall.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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One designed for lunar surface operations must protect astronauts from perilous cosmic radiation, extreme temperatures, lung-clogging moon dust and the harsh vacuum of space.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Dejan Furtula sighed with despair while looking at construction machines working around the clock to remove tons of trash clogging the Drina River near his hometown of Visegrad, in eastern Bosnia.—
Eldar Emric,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Efforts to pass broader AI regulations have failed in recent years, as lawmakers worried that too much regulation could hinder the state’s burgeoning innovation efforts and scare companies away the state.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
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Whereas Apollo space suits were akin to wearing an inflated balloon that greatly hindered motion, the AxEMU is designed with flexible joints that give astronauts mobility to kneel, jog or even do the splits.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These are a class of metals which, within a specific temperature range, release heat when compressed and absorb heat when relaxed.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Feb. 2026
-
As a standard material for super shoes, the higher-end foam offers better energy return and engagement than the compressed EVA used for the Speedgoat 6.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Security footage shown at trial was presented by Baker, who pointed out that the defendants covered cameras with various materials and stacked bulky objects and furniture to block doors.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
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An officer may direct you out of the Express Lanes, too, into the general lanes if there is a collision blocking traffic.—
Jim Radcliffe,
Oc Register,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bottleneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottleneck. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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