logjam

[ lawg-jam, log- ]

/ ˈlɔgˌdʒæm, ˈlɒg- /

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See synonyms for logjam on Thesaurus.com

noun

an immovable pileup or tangle of logs, as in a river, causing a blockage.

any blockage or massive accumulation: a logjam of bills before Congress.

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Origin of logjam

First recorded in 1880–85; log¹ + jam¹

Words nearby logjam

logistic, logistically, logistic curve, logistician, logistics, logjam, logline, log-log, lognormal, logo, logocentrism

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

How to use logjam in a sentence

We’re seeing an astronomical rise in shipping rates, a dramatic lengthening of transit times and a logjam of cargo at every port.
How the delta variant stole Christmas: Empty shelves, long waits — and yes, higher prices|Abha Bhattarai|September 1, 2021|Washington Post
Though short on money, the proposed infrastructure bill does address approval logjams.
The $1 trillion infrastructure bill is a baby step toward the US grid we need|James Temple|August 5, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Adam Piore examines why brilliant ideas that should succeed sometimes get stuck, and how a crisis like covid-19 may help break the logjam.
What progress means|Katie McLean|February 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The Kingston spill broke a long-standing logjam in Washington.
A Power Company’s Quiet Land-Buying Spree Could Shield It From Coal Ash Cleanup Costs|by Max Blau for Georgia Health News|November 24, 2020|ProPublica

Yet this minuscule improvement breaks through both a theoretical logjam and a psychological one.
Computer Scientists Break Traveling Salesperson Record|Erica Klarreich|October 8, 2020|Quanta Magazine
But what he could not answer was how he would break the political logjam in Congress.
Congress Cooperates, Obama Pushes Hard, and Closing Gitmo Has a Chance|Daniel Klaidman|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As the story that broke the logjam, "Birthday Boy" is a fascinating read.
What the Leaked J.D. Salinger Stories Reveal About the Author|Andrew Romano|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But with a bipartisan alliance of radicals in Washington, the logjam of political dysfunction will finally be broken.
Why The Zombie Tea Party Won’t Stay Dead|James Poulos|October 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If you let somebody logjam the process, then it becomes a big problem at the end.
Denny Hastert Disses the ‘Hastert Rule’: It ‘Never Really Existed’|Eleanor Clift|October 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And he had broken ground on Porto Açu, a massive deepwater port meant to break the logjam of Brazilian shipping.
The Brutal Fall of Brazilian Billionaire Eike Batista|Mac Margolis|June 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Rather wud I have perished in a logjam thin to've indured this ingratichood.
Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War|Finley Peter Dunne

British Dictionary definitions for logjam

log jam

noun mainly US and Canadian

blockage caused by the crowding together of a number of logs floating in a river

a deadlock; standstill

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