logjam

noun

log·​jam ˈlȯg-ˌjam 

ˈläg-

1

: a jumble of logs jammed together in a watercourse

2

a

: deadlock, impasse

trying to break the logjam in negotiations

b

: blockage

c

: jam, crowd

logjam transitive verb

Synonyms

• backup
• bottleneck
• jam
• jam-up
• snarl
• tailback [British]
• tie-up

Examples of logjam in a Sentence

He was called in to try to break the logjam in the negotiations.

the presence of an ambulance on the side of the highway created a logjam of rubberneckers who just had to have a look

Recent Examples on the Web

Depth chart impact The Patriots have a logjam of receivers who would be No. 3 or 4 guys on other teams. —Chad Graff, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

The Indiana Legislature created the Kankakee River Basin and Yellow River Basin Development Commission to address the bureaucratic logjam. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025

While Frisby is correct in lamenting the irrationally long regulatory approval time for new projects, utility proposals would be mired in the same logjam. —Mary Beth Tung, Baltimore Sun, 27 Mar. 2025

This back-and-forth creates a logjam, resulting in inefficiency and possibly a loss of information. —Anil Ananthaswamy, Quanta Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for logjam

• abram
• ashram
• begam
• buckram
• doorjamb
• exam
• goddam
• grandam
• priam
• program
• programme
• wolfram