logjam
Americannoun
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an immovable pileup or tangle of logs, as in a river, causing a blockage.
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any blockage or massive accumulation.
a logjam of bills before Congress.
Etymology
Origin of logjam
Explanation
A logjam is just what it sounds like: a bunch of logs all jammed together, blocking the flow of water in a river or stream. You can also call other kinds of blockages logjams — like a traffic logjam that develops due to rubbernecking drivers trying to check out a crash. Logjams change the way water flows in a river, sometimes creating new channels and pools from the overflow of water. This can be good for spawning fish, but sometimes a logjam causes flooding and other problems. This has given rise to the figurative logjam, a problem that stops or blocks progress: "The disagreement caused a logjam in Congress until the President stepped in."
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.
U.S. officials said earlier this week that Trump was leaning toward expanding U.S. military operations to break the diplomatic logjam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
After the top four picks, the draft was considered wide open with a logjam of talented guards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Of course, there’s a big difference between being at a logjam atop the leaderboard on Friday and lifting the Harton S. Semple Trophy on Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
New memory factories aren’t slated to come online until the middle of next year, and the logjam may not clear until 2028.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Rather wud I have perished in a logjam thin to've indured this ingratichood.
From Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War by Finley Peter Dunne
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.
