congest
Americanverb (used with object)
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to fill to excess; overcrowd or overburden; clog.
The subway entrance was so congested that no one could move.
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Pathology. to cause an unnatural accumulation of blood or other fluid in (a body part or blood vessel).
The cold congested her sinuses.
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Obsolete. to heap together.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to crowd or become crowded to excess; overfill
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to overload or clog (an organ or part) with blood or (of an organ or part) to become overloaded or clogged with blood
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(tr; usually passive) to block (the nose) with mucus
Other Word Forms
- congestible adjective
- congestive adjective
- noncongestive adjective
- precongested adjective
- precongestive adjective
- supercongested adjective
- uncongested adjective
- uncongestive adjective
Etymology
Origin of congest
1530–40; < Latin congestus (past participle of congerere; congeries ), equivalent to con- con- + ges- (variant stem of gerere ) + -tus past participle suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Riki said she was grateful for the support of her tutors, but also found it difficult after leaving university to get ahead in a congested job market.
From BBC
Scientists warn that the debris is congesting space, brightening the night sky, and threatens collision with rockets, the International Space Station, and our planet.
From BBC
It simulated a “contested and congested” battlefield with various kinds of drones, says Lt.
The bridge has only four lanes and feeds into a congested part of Windsor where stoplights cause frequent bottlenecks of trucks.
The airspace over Los Angeles is among the most congested in the world, but the Hollywood Burbank Airport is uniquely situated, creating extremely tight parameters around the midsize airport.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
