clog

American  

[klog, klawg] / klɒg, klɔg /

verb (used with object)

• clogs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clogged,
  past participle,  past
• clogging
  present participle

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)

• clogs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clogged,
  past participle,  past
• clogging
  present participle

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

2. to stick; stick together.

3. to do a clog dance.

noun

• clogs
  plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clogs
  plural

Participles

• clogging
  present
• clogged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• clog
  simple
• clogs
  simple
• have clogged
  perfect
• has clogged
  perfect
• am clogging
  progressive
• are clogging
  progressive
• is clogging
  progressive
• have been clogging
  perfect progressive
• has been clogging
  perfect progressive

Past

• clogged
  simple
• had clogged
  perfect
• was clogging
  progressive
• were clogging
  progressive
• had been clogging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will clog
  simple
• will have clogged
  perfect
• will be clogging
  progressive
• will have been clogging
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of clog

1350–1400; Middle English, of uncertain origin

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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

See Examples For:

clog clogs clogged clogging

"These species also clog up aquaculture pens, marine infrastructure, and machinery such as boat propellors," he explained.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

In the meantime, there’s a lot of unwieldy comic commotion involving a missing corpse, a tweaking, naked Dwight and enough insipid TV sibling bickering to clog the airwaves for a decade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

The natural option, a blue-green microalgae called spirulina, proved to be too costly and thick in consistency, causing factory equipment to clog during candy production.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 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

Nothing familiar, not a traffic clog of yellow rusted buses or a water-logged slum of zinc shacks.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

It’s somewhat of an idyllic place where the seashore is lined with wooden houses; sheep graze along the grassy cliffsides and residents wander around the shops in bathrobes and clogs, right after their morning swims.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

All of these took a toll on the industry, but none of them proved as ruinous as citrus greening, a disease that clogs trees’ vascular systems, choking off water and nutrients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Meanwhile, the Crocs brand’s classic clogs oversaturated North America, so the company provided fewer pairs to wholesalers in response to slower sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

"I mean, people have asked here if when he pops his clogs ... can he be stuffed for the museum?"

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

There were beach sandals from Puerto Rico and clogs from Amsterdam and a sphinx from Egypt.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Long lines of stationary cars and buses clogged major roads on Friday as commuters sought alternate routes, with some forced to continue their journeys on foot.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

During the previous mission, SpaceX said the booster’s three center engines showed signs of being clogged by ice, which prevented a successful boostback burn.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

The Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians monitors water quality for algal blooms and cleans up spawning creeks that get clogged with sediment and trash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Sign up to mailing lists using a second email account so your main inbox won't get clogged up with offers.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Sergio felt his heart constrict with a terrible rage, a blackness that clogged his ears, like being underwater.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin

This week, Randy’s identity is “real cyclist,” which puts him at war with the packs of e-bike-riding kids now clogging South Park’s bike lanes.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

French motorists are clogging TotalEnergies service stations to fill up with discount gasoline but its rivals are crying foul, accusing the energy giant of distorting competition with the encouragement of the government.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

The problem is similar to mineral scale building up inside a tea kettle or clogging a shower head over time, except seawater contains far higher concentrations of dissolved salts.

From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026

"Engineers have been using the vent heaters to melt any potential ice that may be clogging the line," Nasa said, adding that they were continuing to orient the vent toward the Sun.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

The girls had been sneaking the dog pieces of their cheeseburgers, and the cheese was clogging her pipes.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

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Related Words

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

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