clog

American  

[klog, klawg] / klɒg, klɔg /

verb (used with object)

clogged, clogging

1. to hinder or obstruct with thick or sticky matter; choke up.

   to clog a drain.

2. to crowd excessively, especially so that movement is impeded; overfill.

   Cars clogged the highway.

3. to encumber; hamper; hinder.

   Synonyms:

   fetter, trammel, impede

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verb (used without object)

clogged, clogging

1. to become clogged, encumbered, or choked up.

2. to stick; stick together.

3. to do a clog dance.

noun

1. anything that impedes motion or action; an encumbrance; a hindrance.

2. a shoe or sandal with a thick sole of wood, cork, rubber, or the like.

3. a similar but lighter shoe worn in the clog dance.

4. a heavy block, as of wood, fastened to a person or beast to impede movement.

5. clog dance.

6. British Dialect. a thick piece of wood.

clog ¹ British  

/ klɒɡ /

verb

1. to obstruct or become obstructed with thick or sticky matter

2. (tr) to encumber; hinder; impede

3. (tr) to fasten a clog or impediment to (an animal, such as a horse)

4. (intr) to adhere or stick in a mass

5. slang (in soccer) to foul (an opponent)

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noun

1. 1. any of various wooden or wooden-soled shoes

   2. ( as modifier )

      clog dance

2. a heavy block, esp of wood, fastened to the leg of a person or animal to impede motion

3. something that impedes motion or action; hindrance

4. slang to die

clog ² British  

/ klɒɡ /

verb

1. to use a photo-enabled mobile phone to take a photograph of (someone) and send it to a website without his or her knowledge or consent

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Other Word Forms

• anticlogging
  adjective
• cloggily
  adverb
• clogginess
  noun
• clogging
  noun
• cloggy
  adjective
• overclog
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of clog

1350–1400; Middle English, of uncertain origin

Explanation

A clog is a blockage, or something that gets in the way. A clog in your kitchen sink might mean you have to call a plumber before you can wash your dishes. A clog obstructs water from flowing through pipes, and it can also be figurative, like a clog in your city's restaurant inspection system that makes it impossible for people to open new cafes. When clog is a verb, it means to cause such a hindrance. A completely different kind of clog is a heavy, wooden-soled shoe. In the 14th century, a clogge was a "lump of wood," and the verb first meant, "hinder with a block of wood."

Example Sentences

Already, the excess heat in the tank has caused the MMA to harden and clog the failing tank’s valves, rendering it impossible for crews to drain the dangerous chemical or add stabilizing agents, Freeman said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

The waste can also clog the aquatic vegetation where the fish would feed and breed, and contaminate the water on which they depend.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

“If a well stays shut too long, it could clog up, and the oil hardens a bit. Then it would take even longer before they can start it back up,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

Abruptly capping wells is geologically hazardous: sudden pressure drops clog wellbores with heavy waxes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

She quickly flushed the reddened paper towels, hoping they wouldn’t clog the toilet, then hurried down to the kitchen, pasting a smile over the anxiety she was feeling.

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi

Related Words

• choke
• congest
• fill
• hamper
• impede
• obstruct
• plug
• seal