bottlenecks 1 of 2

noun

plural of bottleneck
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

bottlenecks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bottleneck
as in snags

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example 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 bottlenecks
Noun
Fuel costs have been soaring because of the Iran war and the ensuing bottlenecks in the Strait of Hormuz, which have squeezed global oil and gas supplies. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Advertisement Internal missteps have only tightened external bottlenecks. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 Oct. 2026 In the bottlenecks that threaten their dominance, the two superpowers are mirror images. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026 There have been bureaucratic bottlenecks for applicants from some high-volume countries, leaving workers vulnerable to deportation, says Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research at the Economic Policy Institute. — Laina Gustafson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026 In the event of a severe winter or import bottlenecks, depressed storage levels not only narrow Europe's capacity to absorb supply shocks but also risk driving natural gas prices higher. — CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026 Yet much of the current inflation comes from supply shocks, such as the Iran war’s disruption to oil and gas supplies, and higher interest rates can’t address those bottlenecks. — Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Winter Springs must document resident complaints and work directly with Seminole County, FDOT, Oviedo and MetroPlan Orlando to address Slavia Road and other regional bottlenecks. — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026 The breakthrough tackles a major quantum computing challenge by connecting different hardware systems without creating communication bottlenecks. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottlenecks
  1. jams
  2. snags
  3. snarls
  4. blocks
  5. hinders
  6. clogs
  7. stems
  8. impedes
Noun
  • The 24-piece box comes with miniature jars of jams and spreads like fig and cardamom, caramel and dark chocolate, rhubarb and strawberry, apricot and honey, and more.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Drink Cider at an Apple Orchard Venture 20 minutes south of Galena to Orchard Landing Apple Farm to pick 14 kinds of apples apples, sample hard cider, and grab some jams, jellies, and cider donuts to go.
    — Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of jams
Verb
  • Some Arizona executions had snags When Strada was in Arizona, that state in 2022 resumed executions after a nearly eight-year break, following criticism about an execution that took about two hours as well as difficulties obtaining certain drugs.
    — Ed White, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2026
  • In the book, when Hig tries to land there, a trip wire almost snags the Cessna and pulls them down to their deaths in a crash.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of snags
Noun
  • To get to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, take the metro (look for the brown Metro Line 9) to avoid getting entangled in traffic snarls.
    — Alan Chazaro, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Around her, Youth builds an impressively frantic web of relationships and plot snarls.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of snarls
Verb
  • Imfinzi, made by AstraZeneca, is an immunotherapy that blocks a protein called PD-L1, which cancer cells use to evade the immune system.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Community opposition that blocks municipal permits has become a bottleneck, and tech giants could face even more challenges if voters next month elect more public officials who are skeptical of data centers.
    — Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of blocks
Verb
  • Unexcused absences in three consecutive elections freeze tax IDs, block nonvoters from applying to state jobs, hinders loans from state banks, and delays the issuance of passports.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • This method prevents nitrogen from diluting the exhaust gas, which hinders combustion and keeps the CO₂ concentration relatively low.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of hinders
Verb
  • Diagnosed at age 3 with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that clogs the lungs with sticky mucus, Smith grew up with doctors expecting a cure to arrive in time to save her.
    — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The fine powder clogs their digestive systems and prevents them from eating plants.
    — Farima Ferguson, The Spruce, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of clogs
Verb
  • Advertisement Give broccoli stems a chance Jonathan Deutsch has watched fellow cooks buy cases of broccoli, cut off the florets, and throw away the stems.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The novel’s conceit stems in part from my attempt to grapple with my family’s and my own trauma and what constitutes truth.
    — Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of stems
Verb
  • Past popes have written letters of resignation in case of a severe illness or medical emergency that impedes them from carrying out their duties.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The sheriff said vehicles parked in a way that impedes traffic will be towed at the owner's expense.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of impedes

Browse Nearby Words

bottlenecking
bottlenecks
bottles
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bottlenecks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottlenecks. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All