congest
verb
con·gest kən-ˈjest 
congested; congesting; congests
transitive verb
1
: to concentrate in a small or narrow space
2
: to cause an excessive accumulation especially of blood or mucus in (such as an organ or part)
3
: clog
traffic congested the highways
intransitive verb
: to become congested
congestion
kən-ˈjes-chən
noun -ˈjesh-
congestive
kən-ˈje-stiv
adjective 
Synonyms
- block
- choke
- clog
- clot
- dam
- gum (up)
- jam
- obstruct
- occlude
- plug (up)
- stop (up)
- stuff
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
the usual weekend traffic congested the region's highways
Recent Examples on the Web The transportation department has previously said that the regular lanes of the rebuilt interstate will still congest at rush hour. 
Kevin Spear, orlandosentinel.com, 26 Mar. 2021 Thousands of vehicles congest its six lanes every day in the south suburbs, where it’s primarily known as 95th Street. Paul Eisenberg, chicagotribune.com, 23 Aug. 2020 Malaysia, along with neighboring Singapore and Brunei, has banned popular Ramadan bazaars, where food, drinks, and clothing are sold in congested open-air markets or roadside stalls. Niniek Karmini, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Apr. 2020 While crashes have greatly decreased, the survey found drivers on certain California highways were able to travel at higher speeds during times that would have been otherwise congested before the order. Fox News, 20 Apr. 2020 If your skin is congested, perhaps try exfoliating acids such as glycolic and lactic acid instead. Rhea Cartwright, refinery29.com, 7 Apr. 2020 This competition doesn't exist only in one Wi-Fi network, either—having a different SSID (Wi-Fi network name) and password than your neighbor doesn't keep your devices from congesting with one another. Jim Salter, Ars Technica, 2 Apr. 2020 Souad watches the two-lane road outside her tent congested with desperate people fleeing, crammed into cars, trucks and vans. Gul Tuysuz, Arwa Damon And Brice Laine, CNN, 17 Feb. 2020 Always a willing worker, when playing out wide Perez has a tendency to drift inside which can often leave the central half spaces congested. SI.com, 10 Oct. 2019 See More
Kevin Spear, orlandosentinel.com, 26 Mar. 2021 Thousands of vehicles congest its six lanes every day in the south suburbs, where it’s primarily known as 95th Street. Paul Eisenberg, chicagotribune.com, 23 Aug. 2020 Malaysia, along with neighboring Singapore and Brunei, has banned popular Ramadan bazaars, where food, drinks, and clothing are sold in congested open-air markets or roadside stalls. Niniek Karmini, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Apr. 2020 While crashes have greatly decreased, the survey found drivers on certain California highways were able to travel at higher speeds during times that would have been otherwise congested before the order. Fox News, 20 Apr. 2020 If your skin is congested, perhaps try exfoliating acids such as glycolic and lactic acid instead. Rhea Cartwright, refinery29.com, 7 Apr. 2020 This competition doesn't exist only in one Wi-Fi network, either—having a different SSID (Wi-Fi network name) and password than your neighbor doesn't keep your devices from congesting with one another. Jim Salter, Ars Technica, 2 Apr. 2020 Souad watches the two-lane road outside her tent congested with desperate people fleeing, crammed into cars, trucks and vans. Gul Tuysuz, Arwa Damon And Brice Laine, CNN, 17 Feb. 2020 Always a willing worker, when playing out wide Perez has a tendency to drift inside which can often leave the central half spaces congested. SI.com, 10 Oct. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin congestus, past participle of congerere to bring together, from com- + gerere to bear
First Known Use
1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
congest
verb
con·gest kən-ˈjest
congested; congesting
: to make too crowded or full : clog
More and more cars are congesting our highways.
congestions
noun
as in traffic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- traffic
- gridlocks
- delays
- slowdowns
- stoppages
- bottlenecks
- locks
- crawls
- tangles
- snarls
- tailbacks
- jams
- logjams
- jam-ups
- backups
- tie-ups
