congest

[ kuhn-jest ]

/ kənˈdʒɛst /

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See synonyms for: congest / congested on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to fill to excess; overcrowd or overburden; clog: The subway entrance was so congested that no one could move.

Pathology. to cause an unnatural accumulation of blood or other fluid in (a body part or blood vessel): The cold congested her sinuses.

Obsolete. to heap together.

verb (used without object)

to become congested: His throat congested with phlegm.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of congest

1530–40; <Latin congestus (past participle of congerere;see congeries), equivalent to con-con- + ges- (variant stem of gerere) + -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM congest

con·gest·i·ble, adjectivecon·ges·tive, adjectivenon·con·ges·tive, adjectivepre·con·gest·ed, adjective

pre·con·ges·tive, adjectivesu·per·con·gest·ed, adjectiveun·con·gest·ed, adjectiveun·con·ges·tive, adjective

Words nearby congest

congenic, congenital, congenitally, conger, congeries, congest, congested, congestion, congestion charging, congestive heart failure, congius

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use congest in a sentence

The authors describe how, in the late 19th century, the streets of fast-industrializing cities were congested with horses, each pulling a cart or a coach, one after the other, in some places three abreast.
Did Cars Rescue Our Cities From Horses? - Issue 108: Change|Brandon Keim|November 10, 2021|Nautilus
When she was on the sidewalk, some of the already narrow walkways were congested with large signs.
Outdoor dining reopened restaurants for all — but added to barriers for disabled|Brittany Mayes, Maria del Carmen Aguilar Velez|July 13, 2021|Washington Post
However, utilization of these resources is kind of skewed towards very few major roads that end up being congested in the peak hours.
Using machine learning to build maps that give smarter driving advice|MIT Technology Review Insights|June 23, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The volume you can achieve per pound spent can be attractive, especially given it’s not as congested with other advertisers as other apps.
‘Not a place for takeovers’: Pepsi amps up Triller marketing plans|Seb Joseph|January 12, 2021|Digiday

As a result, many retailers and grocers have been attempting to stockpile supplies in advance of January 1 and the road approaches to the Channel crossings have already been congested for weeks due to the additional truck traffic.
The U.K. is facing a Christmas food crisis, as France closes border to trucks over mutant COVID-19 strain|Jeremy Kahn|December 21, 2020|Fortune
The contents of a hundred Primers rose higgledy-piggledy, to congest his mind and memory.
The Promise of Air|Algernon Blackwood
The keen night air had seemed for the moment fairly to congest her lungs and render her speechless and breathless.
Ruth Fielding in Moving Pictures|Alice Emerson
Alcohol will sometimes congest the brain of an adult under the most trying and discouraging circumstances.
Remarks|Bill Nye
It is an easy thing to have printed congealed for that word, and congest occurs in A Lover's Complaint.
Notes & Queries, No. 4, Saturday, November 24, 1849|Various
His case, with such phrases as "Supportlessly congest" well to the fore, was good.
The Life of Francis Thompson|Everard Meynell

British Dictionary definitions for congest

congest

/ (kənˈdʒɛst) /

verb

to crowd or become crowded to excess; overfill

to overload or clog (an organ or part) with blood or (of an organ or part) to become overloaded or clogged with blood

(tr; usually passive) to block (the nose) with mucus

Derived forms of congest

congestible, adjectivecongestive, adjective

Word Origin for congest

C16: from Latin congestus pressed together, from congerere to assemble; see congeries

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

congest

Origin of congest

OTHER WORDS FROM congest

Words nearby congest

Words related to congest

How to use congest in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for congest

Derived forms of congest

Word Origin for congest