clog

[ klog, klawg ]

/ klɒg, klɔg /

verb (used with object), clogged, clog·ging.

to hinder or obstruct with thick or sticky matter; choke up: to clog a drain.

to crowd excessively, especially so that movement is impeded; overfill: Cars clogged the highway.

to encumber; hamper; hinder.

verb (used without object), clogged, clog·ging.

to become clogged, encumbered, or choked up.

to stick; stick together.

to do a clog dance.

noun

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

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

a similar but lighter shoe worn in the clog dance.

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

clog dance.

British Dialect. a thick piece of wood.

Nearby words

Origin of clog

1350–1400; Middle English, of uncertain origin

SYNONYMS FOR clog

3. impede, trammel, fetter.

Related forms

clog·gi·ly, adverbclog·gi·ness, nounclog·gy, adjectivean·ti·clog·ging, adjective

o·ver·clog, verb (used with object), o·ver·clogged, o·ver·clog·ging.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cloggy

A cloggy sensation of the lukewarm fat of meat is upon me (we dined an hour or two ago), and my head is as heavy as so much lead.
The Personal History of David Copperfield |Charles Dickens
The ground should be completely inverted, but never do it in wet weather, as this will make the ground hard and cloggy.
The Cultivation of The Native Grape, and Manufacture of American Wines|George Husmann

British Dictionary definitions for cloggy

cloggy

/ (ˈklɒɡɪ) /

adjective -gier or -giest

thick and sticky; causing clogging

clog

/ (klɒɡ) /

verb clogs, clogging or clogged

to obstruct or become obstructed with thick or sticky matter

(tr) to encumber; hinder; impede

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

(intr) to adhere or stick in a mass

slang (in soccer) to foul (an opponent)

noun

any of various wooden or wooden-soled shoes
(as modifier)clog dance

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

something that impedes motion or action; hindrance

pop one's clogs slang to die

Derived Formscloggy, adjectiveclogginess, noun

Word Origin for clog

C14 (in the sense: block of wood): of unknown origin

clog

/ (klɒɡ) /

verb clogs, clogging or clogged

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

Derived Formsclogging, noun

Word Origin for clog

C21: c(amera) + log

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cloggy

clog

early 14c., clogge "a lump of wood," origin unknown. Also used in Middle English of large pieces of jewelry and large testicles. Cf. Norwegian klugu "knotty log of wood." Meaning "anything that impedes action" is from 1520s. The sense of "wooden-soled shoe" is first recorded late 14c.; they were used as overshoes until the introduction of rubbers c.1840. Originally all wood (hence the name), later wooden soles with leather uppers for the front of the foot only. Later revived in fashion (c.1970), primarily for women. Clog-dancing is attested from 1863.

clog

late 14c., "hinder," originally by fastening a block of wood to something, from clog (n.). Meaning "choke up with extraneous matter" is 17c. Related: Clogged; clogging.