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
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Recent Examples of bottlenecks
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
The biggest bottlenecks are labor and supply chains, Lavandier said.
—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
1 July 2026
For now, there’s simply not enough clean power available, Hurst said, because of the familiar litany of bottlenecks with permitting and grid interconnection.
—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
1 July 2026
If robots help warehouses operate with fewer bottlenecks, retailers may raise expectations for speed even more.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 June 2026
The government has established major aid-collection centers at La Carlota in Caracas and Almacenadora Caracas in Catia, urging citizens to channel donations through official distribution networks to avoid logistical bottlenecks.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
27 June 2026
Tackling supply bottlenecks According to Orbital, the same manufacturing platform can produce components for solid rocket motors, hypersonic vehicles, missile defense interceptors, space systems, jet engines, and nuclear microreactors.
—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 June 2026
And so the goal that lawmakers have stated for this bill and that a lot of the provisions lay out is to tackle some of the bottlenecks and some of the problems that have kept us from providing the level of housing supply that the country needs over time.
—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
Noun
Leaders should identify where bottlenecks crept back in, restore psychological safety around small failures, and rebuild the feedback loops that make frequent, low-risk deployment feel sustainable.
—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
The biggest bottlenecks are labor and supply chains, Lavandier said.
—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
1 July 2026
For now, there’s simply not enough clean power available, Hurst said, because of the familiar litany of bottlenecks with permitting and grid interconnection.
—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
1 July 2026
If robots help warehouses operate with fewer bottlenecks, retailers may raise expectations for speed even more.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 June 2026
The government has established major aid-collection centers at La Carlota in Caracas and Almacenadora Caracas in Catia, urging citizens to channel donations through official distribution networks to avoid logistical bottlenecks.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
27 June 2026
Tackling supply bottlenecks According to Orbital, the same manufacturing platform can produce components for solid rocket motors, hypersonic vehicles, missile defense interceptors, space systems, jet engines, and nuclear microreactors.
—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 June 2026
And so the goal that lawmakers have stated for this bill and that a lot of the provisions lay out is to tackle some of the bottlenecks and some of the problems that have kept us from providing the level of housing supply that the country needs over time.
—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottlenecks
Noun
-
Natalia Cardona Sanchez from Guatemala makes tropical jams with Latin American and Caribbean flavors.
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Others may step in when a package jams, a label fails to scan or a pallet needs human attention.
Verb
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Luke Evans snags a quick puppy peck atop the Empire State Building while visiting in partnership with the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative and the Trevor Project for New York City Pride on June 26.
-
Using strobes and a long exposure time to allow the maximum amount of available light to hit his lens, Cooley snags about 50 shots of the 20-foot-tall tree, which stands vigil over a street where nearly all the homes burned.
Noun
-
Be prepared for traffic snarls and multiple security checkpoints.
-
Drivers should brace for traffic snarls this summer when South Elgin’s State Street bridge over the Fox River is reduced to one lane for road resurfacing work.
Verb
-
The Connected Vehicle Rule, finalized in 2025 under the Biden Administration, effectively blocks Polestar from selling cars in the US starting with the 2027 model year.
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One blocks the receptor binding protein, which the virus uses to attach to human cells.
Verb
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This systemic lack of dedicated time for preparation and collaboration undermines school improvement efforts, makes the teaching profession less attractive, and directly hinders high-quality instruction.
-
This is due, in large part, to expectations of a strong El Niño, which traditionally hinders storm development.
Verb
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In the future, says Dukhovny, flying cars will be as ubiquitous in the skies of New York as ordinary cars are now — with none of the congestion that clogs our streets.
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This scale quickly clogs ordinary solar stills, much like calcium buildup ruins your bathroom showerhead.
Verb
-
Applying mulch directly against plant stems traps moisture, leading to rotting and other issues.
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That prediction stems in part from his expectation that technology companies will crank up their prices as their products become more essential to companies like Allianz.
Verb
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Human existence senses that something impedes it from subsisting.
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While the technology assists in officiating and enhances live broadcasts, those sensors can also add uneven mass distribution that impedes a ball's movement in the air.
Cite this Entry
“Bottlenecks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottlenecks. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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