bottleneck

1 of 3

adjective

bot·​tle·​neck ˈbä-tᵊl-ˌnek How to pronounce bottleneck (audio)
: narrow
bottleneck harbors

bottleneck

2 of 3

noun

plural bottlenecks
1
a
: a narrow route
b
: a point of traffic congestion
2
a
: someone or something that slows or halts free movement and progress
working to streamline production and eliminate bottlenecks
b
: impasse
They reached a bottleneck in the negotiations.
c
: a dramatic reduction in the size of a population (as of a species) that results in a decrease in genetic variation
3
or bottleneck guitar : a style of guitar playing in which glissando effects are produced by sliding an object (such as a knife blade or the neck of a bottle) along the strings

bottleneck

3 of 3

verb

bottlenecked; bottlenecking; bottlenecks

transitive verb

: to slow or halt by causing a bottleneck

Examples of bottleneck in a Sentence

Noun Bridge construction has created a bottleneck on the southern part of Main Street. All decisions must be approved by the committee, and this is where the company runs into bottlenecks.
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Noun
Aside from water constraints, the almond industry has faced other challenges, including tariffs in China and other countries, as well as shipping bottlenecks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Unresponsive systems cause bottlenecks that create problems for users, such as from weak home Wi-Fi setups, network latency for enterprise applications or spotty coverage from internet service providers. Douglas Murray, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 That interchange also served drivers heading to I-74 from northbound I-75, creating hazardous bottlenecks at the Beekman/Colerain exit. The Enquirer, 1 Mar. 2024 Shortages of computer chips and other supply-chain issues had a brutal impact on auto production and created bottlenecks that drove up purchase prices, which in many cases haven’t gone down. Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Years of underinvestment and consolidation in this niche manufacturing sector have caused a transformer bottleneck that’s colliding with a boom in demand from the AI and renewable energy sectors. Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 Those places can be bottlenecks when multiple trains are on the corridor. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2024 Resolving bottlenecks could involve investing in new technology, streamlining processes or reorganizing teams. Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 At the same time, Americans have been dialing back on purchases of goods such as electronics that are widely produced in China since supply chain bottlenecks cleared up after the pandemic took hold. Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024
Verb
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 Apprenticeship training hold a great deal of promise, but its expansion is bottlenecked due to a lack of funding, awareness, and availability. Shalin Jyotishi, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Underground areas give you fewer cover spots, more opportunities for bottlenecking enemies, and a chance to find out that certain mercs are claustrophobic. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 20 July 2023 The year is 1957, and this the first time in the film that the swarm of Ferraris, Maseratis and Alfa Romeos has been bottlenecked into a city. Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023 Via the use of generative AI, the public at large can finally get ready access to mental health advisement at a low cost, whenever needed or desired, and no longer be bottlenecked by having to access human therapists that are sparsely available or pricey to utilize. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023 If supplies are bottlenecked long enough, the energy transition could be delayed. Jim Krane, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2023 Cohen watched as four pickup trucks filled with armed militants and gunmen on motorcycles encircled the road leading out of the event venue, which was bottlenecked with cars attempting to flee the area. Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2023 After many years, the dearth of reproductive females would bottleneck the population. Max G. Levy, WIRED, 18 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bottleneck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1854, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bottleneck was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near bottleneck

Cite this Entry

“Bottleneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bottleneck. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bottleneck

noun
bot·​tle·​neck
ˈbät-ᵊl-ˌnek
1
: a narrow passageway
2
: someone or something that holds up progress
a traffic bottleneck

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