congested

adjective

con·​gest·​ed kən-ˈje-stəd How to pronounce congested (audio)
Synonyms of congestednext
1
: extremely or excessively full or crowded
… it must be clear that the continuance is not being granted solely because of the court's congested calendar.—The National Law Journal
Under the pressure of the weather conditions, congested traffic and wind shear, the crew never was able to stabilize the airplane on the ILS approach into JFK and had to execute a missed approach.—Patrick R. Veillette
2
medical : containing an excessive accumulation especially of blood or mucus
congested lungs/sinuses

Examples of congested in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The Waymo was clean and quiet, and avoided a congested highway by navigating through side streets and frontage roads. — Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 England have looked physically exhausted and mentally congested in each of their four matches to date. — Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 July 2026 When demand surged, manufacturing slowed, and shipping routes became congested due to the pandemic; the once highly efficient systems started to break down. — Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 8 July 2026 After conducting a 30-minute test drive in the outskirts of the capital last year, Turing has replicated the experiment in multiple, more congested areas across the country. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for congested

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1830, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of congested was circa 1830

Rhymes for congested

See All Rhymes for congested

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Congested.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/congested. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Medical Definition

congested

adjective
con·​gest·​ed kən-ˈjes-təd How to pronounce congested (audio)
: containing an excessive accumulation especially of blood or mucus
congested mucous membranes
congested lungs

More from Merriam-Webster on congested

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for congested

Nglish: Translation of congested for Spanish Speakers

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