congestion
Americannoun
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overcrowding; clogging.
severe traffic congestion.
-
an excessive or abnormal accumulation of blood or other fluid in a body part or blood vessel.
pulmonary congestion.
noun
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the state of being overcrowded, esp with with traffic or people
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the state of being overloaded or clogged with blood
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the state of being blocked with mucus
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of congestion
From the Latin word congestiō, dating back to 1585–95. See congest, -ion
Explanation
When a driver complains about congestion, she's talking about the cars that are backed up on the highway. When your sneezing friend complains about congestion, he's talking about his stuffed-up nose. Use the noun congestion to talk about over-crowding; this comes up most often when people talk about traffic. If there's unexpected congestion on your route to work, you'll be late. You might also use the word to describe a crush of people: "The congestion in the subway was terrible — we were packed like sardines in there." The medical kind of congestion describes a build up of fluid, especially the kind you feel in your sinuses when you have a bad cold.
Vocabulary lists containing congestion
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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.
The MTA last year also started charging a $9 congestion tax on drivers—including those from Long Island—who enter Manhattan’s business district.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
The museum will also have a new entrance on its eastern facade to help ease congestion at its current glass-and-metal pyramid entry point.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
There is an additional problem, too: Taxes on gasoline are supposed to charge drivers for some of the costs their driving imposes on everyone else – carbon emissions, local air pollution, congestion and crashes.
From Salon • May 13, 2026
Joshua Schank, a partner at transportation strategic advisory firm InfraStrategies and former chief innovation officer of Metro, said the city should consider easing driving demands with congestion pricing.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
His congestion had put an end to that fear.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
