definitions

congest

[ kuh n-jest ]
/ kənˈdʒɛst /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR congest 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.

RELATED WORDS

crowded, teeming, overcrowded, jammed, choked, glutted, stuffed, stopped, packed, closed, filled, overflowing, mobbed, crammed, gorged, stoppered, massed, chock-full, jam-packed

Nearby words

congenital syphilis, congenital total lipodystrophy, congenital valve, conger, congeries, congest, congested, congestion, congestion charging, congestive, congestive heart failure

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

Related forms

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

Examples from the Web for congested

British Dictionary definitions for congested (1 of 2)

congested

/ (kənˈdʒɛstɪd) /

adjective

crowded to excess; overfull
(of an organ or part) loaded or clogged with blood
(of the nose) blocked with mucus

British Dictionary definitions for congested (2 of 2)

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

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

Medicine definitions for congested (1 of 2)

congested

[ kən-jĕs′tĭd ]

adj.

Affected with or characterized by congestion.

Medicine definitions for congested (2 of 2)

congest

[ kən-jĕst′ ]

v.

To cause the accumulation of excessive blood or tissue fluid in a vessel or an organ.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.