congested
Britishadjective
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crowded to excess; overfull
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(of an organ or part) loaded or clogged with blood
-
(of the nose) blocked with mucus
Explanation
If you are having trouble breathing, you keep sneezing, and your head feels like it might explode, you may very well be congested. In other words, fluid may have built up in your sinuses and your lungs. Being congested is a typical but very unpleasant symptom of the common cold. This adjective literally means “clogged,” “overcrowded,” or “overfull.” Congested is also used to describe arteries that are clogged, cities that are overpopulated, and roads that are full of traffic.
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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.
Stagecoach doesn’t have as many people as Coachella, so the traffic usually isn’t as bad, but Monday can get congested as people head home from the desert.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
The ships that are now stuck would also need about a day or two to berth, load and depart the congested terminals, depending on their cargo.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
NordVPN’s performance was stable, though occasional buffering occurred on congested servers during peak hours.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
When airspace is suddenly shut or congested, controllers communicate with pilots about where they need to go, how much fuel they have and which airports can accommodate their type of aircraft.
From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026
Richton Park was nearly as grim as Caldwell, if a bit more middle-class and a lot more congested.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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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.