as in jams
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
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Recent Examples of bottlenecks
Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
The model, called Project Eluna, is built to help operators anticipate supply chain bottlenecks by pulling in historical and real-time data to recommend actions, ideally cutting down time needed to analyze dashboards so users can spend more time coaching their teams.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Oct. 2025
Supply chain bottlenecks that have long constrained an expansion of electricity grids are showing signs of easing, but plenty of other mammoth challenges remain, an executive at a major power infrastructure firm told Semafor.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Indiana receives pups from non-Hoosier woodrats from these zoos, Bordenkecher said, and that will hopefully help the population avoid any genetic bottlenecks.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 15 Oct. 2025
These expeditions wait for the best windows of calm weather to push for the summit, and their ascents are usually slowed by bottlenecks and congestion.
—Ben Ayers, Outside, 10 Oct. 2025
In an age dominated by artificial intelligence, where data access speed is everything, this advancement addresses one of computing’s most pressing bottlenecks.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
Mumbai, India — After decades of bottlenecks and delays, Mumbai, one of the world’s most crowded cities, finally has a second airport.
—Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Annabelle Huang is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Altius Labs, a blockchain infrastructure company (backed by Founders Fund and Pantera) that focuses on solving execution performance bottlenecks.
—Annabelle Huang, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
Meanwhile, production bottlenecks, labor shortages, tighter government spending, and the lack of Western technology are increasingly causing strains in the economy, Prokopenko said.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
The model, called Project Eluna, is built to help operators anticipate supply chain bottlenecks by pulling in historical and real-time data to recommend actions, ideally cutting down time needed to analyze dashboards so users can spend more time coaching their teams.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Oct. 2025
Supply chain bottlenecks that have long constrained an expansion of electricity grids are showing signs of easing, but plenty of other mammoth challenges remain, an executive at a major power infrastructure firm told Semafor.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Indiana receives pups from non-Hoosier woodrats from these zoos, Bordenkecher said, and that will hopefully help the population avoid any genetic bottlenecks.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 15 Oct. 2025
These expeditions wait for the best windows of calm weather to push for the summit, and their ascents are usually slowed by bottlenecks and congestion.
—Ben Ayers, Outside, 10 Oct. 2025
In an age dominated by artificial intelligence, where data access speed is everything, this advancement addresses one of computing’s most pressing bottlenecks.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
Mumbai, India — After decades of bottlenecks and delays, Mumbai, one of the world’s most crowded cities, finally has a second airport.
—Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Annabelle Huang is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Altius Labs, a blockchain infrastructure company (backed by Founders Fund and Pantera) that focuses on solving execution performance bottlenecks.
—Annabelle Huang, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottlenecks
Noun
-
Examples include The Dutch Kettle of Hamptonville, which makes fruit jams, jellies and barbecue sauce.—
Chase Jordan
November 5,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The berries, which birds also love, can be eaten fresh or made into jams and jellies.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, former Noiseworks and INXS frontman Jon Stevens snags a top 40 debut with his 11th solo album, Shimmer (Island/Universal).—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The October court order rejects the Department of Education’s motion to dismiss the case and blocks the administration from implementing the discontinuation against nearly 50 grantees across the country while the lawsuit continues.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
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Because the Moon blocks the transmissions from Yutu-2 to Earth, the Chinese rover used a relay satellite to communicate with its base back home.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The result has been a seemingly endless run of East Washington Street roadwork and traffic snarls from Alabama Street downtown to I-465.—
Ryan Murphy,
IndyStar,
25 Sep. 2025
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There was talk of traffic snarls and strain on the power grid.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Inertia hinders many consumers from seeking out higher rates.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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But biologists know relatively little about how these aggressive cells function, which hinders knowledge of cancer progression and resistance.—
Perri Thaler,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That clogs the judicial system, wastes limited resources, and delays justice for those with legitimate grievances.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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Spare the Stems More critically, stems and spent flowers serve better purposes than removal.—
Erica Browne Grivas,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
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In tandem, Molly wears a Mango jacket, pink Charlie Beads bloomers, pale pink Hereu flats, and an APC demi-lune bag the color of the pincushion stems in the reference photo.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Let go of whatever impedes your progress and growth.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
22 Oct. 2025
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If a mental image only impedes the human’s process of emulation, why should her mindedness make Celmins’s web less natural than the spider’s?—
Harmon Siegel,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bottlenecks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottlenecks. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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