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traffic jam

American  

noun

  • traffic jams
    plural
  1. jam.


traffic jam British  

noun

  1. a number of vehicles so obstructed that they can scarcely move

"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

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The risk of relying on one artery for so much trade was underscored after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when the bridge was temporarily closed and trucks idled in a miles-long traffic jam.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 26, 2026

A circulation pattern over Europe is creating "the equivalent of a traffic jam in the atmosphere which locks in heat", Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, told AFP.

From Barron's Jun. 23, 2026

Being stuck there in a human traffic jam is a nightmare many experienced hikers and climbers would do anything to avoid.

From Los Angeles Times May 6, 2026

During that time, there has been a direct line from the world's biggest traffic jam to rising petrol and diesel prices, higher airfares and swelling mortgage rates around the globe.

From BBC Apr. 8, 2026

Overloaded trucks and buses stall in a traffic jam as thousands of civilians and military personnel flee from Hue to Da Nang as North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces advance, 1975.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

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