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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to dam
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
David Szondy, New Atlas, 10 Dec. 2024
Key questions include: Are there recurring bottlenecks in administrative or compliance processes?
—Charles Morey, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
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
Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024
The push to build more computationally intense AI systems could be bottlenecked by the intense energy requirements of the largest clusters of semiconductor chips or by a lack of training data.
—Will Henshall, TIME, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for bottleneck 
Noun
In fact, data in the form of electrons have become such a bottleneck that most CPUs spend most of their time sitting idle and consuming energy while waiting for the next data packet to arrive.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 10 Dec. 2024
Key questions include: Are there recurring bottlenecks in administrative or compliance processes?
—Charles Morey, Forbes, 19 Dec. 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
In Tijuana, Jose Garcia Lara, director of the Movimiento Juventud 2000 shelter, worries the executive order could cause a crisis as migrants become bottlenecked in northern Mexico.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024
The push to build more computationally intense AI systems could be bottlenecked by the intense energy requirements of the largest clusters of semiconductor chips or by a lack of training data.
—Will Henshall, TIME, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for bottleneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottleneck
Noun
-
Bakewell has several signature dishes, including the jam pastry Bakewell Pudding and the Bakewell Tart, a shortcrust pastry made with jam and almonds.Sezin Devi Koehler, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2025
-
The club lounge is well worth the upgrade, with beef noodle soup and black sesame croissants at breakfast, hojicha scones with Taiwanese pink guava jam for afternoon tea, and an outdoor terrace that feels like an urban oasis.Amber Gibson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Highly structured—These individuals appreciate organization and linear thinking.Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
-
But development progress is rarely linear for players at such a young age.The Athletic UK Staff, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Additionally, 30 percent of the world's long rivers no longer flow freely due to damming and other modifications.Shannon McDonagh, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
-
An independent, damming report published in 2022 in Britain found that local police and officials missed numerous opportunities to prevent abuse in the grooming cases stretching back to 2005.Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Cars clogged the road on Tuesday, all headed away from Pacific Palisades except for the emergency vehicles that wailed their way toward the blaze.Jacey Fortin, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Matson checks under a sink and discovers that its disposal is clogged.Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Biden also issued a sweeping executive order Monday blocking about 625 million acres of offshore areas from future oil and gas drilling, potentially hindering Trump's plans to quickly scale up fossil fuel production.Zachary Basu, Axios, 7 Jan. 2025
-
This situation affected investor confidence and hindered its stock performance during 2024.Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The compressed chronology also turns patients into recurring characters.Alison Herman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025
-
These are expensive and require drones with folding wings and a supply of compressed air or other propellent to launch them.David Hambling, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
On Tuesday, their efforts paid off when Judge Cannon issued a surprising injunction blocking the report from coming out until the appeals court made its own decision on how to proceed.Alan Feuer, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Those exiting the library parking lot and heading east face a similar challenge, with their left-turn lane now also blocked by a traffic island.Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
This intergenerational transfer of wealth while providing essential support to parents and grandparents often impedes young adults’ ability to accumulate wealth.Noreen Sugrue, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Congress has delegated much of its foreign economic authority to the White House, but the biggest speed bump impeding Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canada may be a trade deal negotiated under Trump himself: the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near bottleneck
Cite this Entry
“Bottleneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottleneck. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share