bottleneck 1 of 3

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

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bottleneck

2 of 3

adjective

bottleneck

3 of 3

verb

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bottleneck
Noun
That bottleneck was exacerbated by quick expulsion policies such as Title 42, a measure Biden kept in place until 2023, drawing the ire of many in the immigration advocacy movement. Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 20 Nov. 2024 The phenomenon involves women not being promoted to managerial roles at the same rate as men, causing a bottleneck restricting their professional advancement. Tara Fitzpatrick-Navarro, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
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
Michael O’Leary, who has helmed the European low-cost airline for three decades, said in Poland that Boeing, first and foremost, needs to resolve the issues that have bottlenecked the expansion of Ryanair’s services, Reuters reports. Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024 New GPUs had to fit on modules that were the same physical size as older ones, that could be cooled using the same heatsink and fan as the old one, and that wouldn't be bottlenecked by whatever PCI Express version the CPU was using. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 23 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for bottleneck 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottleneck
Noun
  • Chocolate or Nutella babka is a favorite at the holidays, but these breads can also be made with jams, nuts, and spiced fillings.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2024
  • In addition, ice storms can create black ice -- patchy ice on roadways or other transportation surfaces that cannot easily be seen -- and ice jams in lakes and streams, which can contribute to severe flooding, the NWS said.
    Max Golembo, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The objective of such a move would be to eliminate the financial drag of linear networks, which are losing subscribers and advertising revenue at a steady clip.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Employees are now navigating their careers through horizontal moves to gain varied experiences rather than climbing a linear ladder.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • This recent catch is especially notable because the species population is believed to have dropped by at least 95% in the last century, according to National Geographic, as a result of overfishing, damming, siltation, and destruction of spawning and breeding grounds.
    Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Envisioning a New and Undiscovered River Historical and scientific records yield only a few clues about what the Klamath River was like before it was dammed.
    Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, 24 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Many oily substances can be comedogenic, which is a rather funny sounding medical term that means clogging up your pores.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Does his white beard hair ever clog up the sink or anything?
    Joanna Solotaroff, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Jermaine Johnson’s absence due to a season-ending Achilles injury has hindered the Jets’ pass rush.
    Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Trump frequently criticized Powell during his first term, accusing the Fed of keeping rates too high and hindering economic growth.
    Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The shift to a four-day workweek has sparked growing interest in the West, where some companies are beginning to explore compressed hours as a way to attract talent seeking better work-life balance.
    Chris Lau, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Despite the compressed calendar, Ohashi expects the strong performance to continue through December.
    David Moin, WWD, 1 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The defense team also argued Penny's chokehold alone could not have caused Neely's death, and that Neely suffered an extreme sickle cell crisis on the train floor, blocking the flow of oxygen.
    Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The chemical is also metabolized by CYP3A4, blocking other products (including medication) from connecting to the enzyme and being metabolized.2120 Grapefruit also affects proteins that move a drug into your cells to be absorbed (also called drug transporters).
    Kirstyn Hill, PharmD, MPH, Health, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Sauer had argued that the continuation of the case, which is currently on appeal, will impede the Republican from carrying out his presidential duties.
    Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Old equipment and years of mergers and acquisitions are likely impeding the ability of telecommunications providers to toss Beijing out of their networks.
    Sam Sabin, Axios, 6 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Bottleneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottleneck. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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