congestion

American  

[kuhn-jes-chuhn] / kənˈdʒɛs tʃən /

noun

1. overcrowding; clogging.

   severe traffic congestion.

2. an excessive or abnormal accumulation of blood or other fluid in a body part or blood vessel.

   pulmonary congestion.

---

congestion British  

/ kənˈdʒɛstʃən /

noun

1. the state of being overcrowded, esp with with traffic or people

2. the state of being overloaded or clogged with blood

3. the state of being blocked with mucus

---

Other Word Forms

• noncongestion noun
• precongestion noun
• supercongestion noun

Etymology

Origin of congestion

From the Latin word congestiō, dating back to 1585–95. See congest, -ion

Example Sentences

The same forces that produce traffic jams and market bubbles—congestion, imperfect information, coordination failures—are at work here too, only with candles.

From The Wall Street Journal

While capacity is being added at record speed, it has not always translated into power generation, partly due to grid congestion.

From Barron's

It’s crucial for commerce and will alleviate congestion at the nearby Ambassador bridge and the Windsor tunnel.

From The Wall Street Journal

Work on the structure began in 2018, with the aim of easing congestion over the nearby Ambassador Bridge, where trucks sometimes wait hours in traffic jams.

From The Wall Street Journal

Smart motorways were introduced to reduce congestion by increasing motorway capacity, using technology to regulate traffic flow.

From BBC

Related Words

• bottleneck
• overpopulation
• traffic jam