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Synonyms

traffic jam

American  

noun

  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

Other Word Forms

  • traffic-jammed adjective

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.

"But we don't yet know whether the action that starts the ridge just isn't happening or whether the traffic jam afterward isn't happening," he said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

Menchaca, a landscaper, had landed in the middle of a traffic jam sparked by Los Angeles’ latest referendum on itself.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

“While the market has been caught in quite a traffic jam of negativity lately, its uptrend, while stalled, is far from derailed,” said Eric Clark, chief investment officer at the Accuvest Global Advisors investment group.

From Barron's • Oct. 22, 2025

I immediately feel like I'm in a ginormous, stressful traffic jam.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2025

Ahead, a line of cars slowly inched forward—a traffic jam.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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.