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
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
It’s also recommended to go with one that has solid-state storage instead of a hard drive, as a traditional hard drive will greatly bottleneck the performance of the rest of the components.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 9 July 2025
Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
But one of the main challenges with this is a bottleneck from relativity.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottleneck
Adjective
Without investment in clean, high-density energy grids and smarter distribution, innovation will bottleneck at the plug.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
It’s also recommended to go with one that has solid-state storage instead of a hard drive, as a traditional hard drive will greatly bottleneck the performance of the rest of the components.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 9 July 2025
Verb
This has created bottlenecks for social workers and police officers who often struggle to find spots for people voluntarily asking to get clean.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
But one of the main challenges with this is a bottleneck from relativity.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottleneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottleneck
Noun
-
There would be no replay of that 2022 failure, which featured the same inning (sixth), the same jam (bases loaded) and the same long walk (for John Schneider to pull Gausman).—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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My preferred brand of apple butter is made by McCutcheon's, a family-run company based in Frederick, Maryland that makes a wide array of jams, jellies, and preserves.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That can be tough to recreate on a theme park ride, which usually demands a linear story arc.—
Robert Niles,
Oc Register,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The results were not linear that winter.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Unlike many other beavers, these specific beavers were willing to dam a flashy urban stream.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
-
But over the years, the river had been dammed upstream, drying it up and killing the fish.—
David Gelles,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Wesbound Chinden Boulevard is blocked and there is heavy congestion in the area of that busy intersection, police told the Idaho Statesman in an email.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Oct. 2025
-
But residents expressed concern over the size of the development and traffic congestion.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Both are highly absorptive, drawing out excess oil that clogs pores and contributes to breakouts.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Throughout the morning, five vehicles clogged the driveway at the home of shooting suspect Thomas Stanford, in Burton, about 9 miles north of the LDS church in Grand Blanc Township.—
Dave Boucher,
Freep.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These gaps have long hindered the growth of private assets in investor portfolios.—
Henry Fernandez,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Lower mortgage rates, which have fallen in recent weeks in anticipation of the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut rates for the first time since December 2024, are helping get buyers back to the market—but experts think that a government shutdown might hinder their return.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
How does Obama go, in a pretty compressed number of years, from nearly an impossibility—the very act of his election seeming like a pivotal moment in the country to many people—to this by the end of his term?—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
-
This process pushes out sand using compressed air or steam to clean surfaces.—
Abigail Hasebroock,
Miami Herald,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kobach has petitioned top Republican lawmakers to convene a special session with the goal of blocking the Kansas Department of Revenue from resuming its practice of accommodating gender marker change requests, according to a letter sent to GOP lawmakers and obtained by The Star.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
3 Oct. 2025
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Learn how Louisville's Adidas and University of Kentucky's Nike contracts could block the new revenue stream.—
Ray Padilla,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bottleneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottleneck. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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