Bottleneck
/ˈbɑːtlnek/noun
A point of congestion or blockage in a system or process.
The construction work on the highway created a bottleneck during rush hours.
Often appears as...
- traffic bottleneck
- production bottleneck
Definition 1 of 5
Pro Tip 1/3Not Always Negative
While 'bottleneck' implies a slowdown, in some contexts it might be necessary or planned for.
The toll gate acts as a bottleneck to regulate traffic flow.
Pro Tip 2/3Identify and Solve
'Bottleneck' is commonly used to identify issues to solve in business and engineering.
Our project review will focus on finding the bottleneck steps.
Pro Tip 3/3Metaphorical Use
It is often used metaphorically to describe any narrow point or restriction in a system.
The approval process was a bureaucratic bottleneck.
Compare with
barrierblockageclogcongestionimpedimentjamobstruction
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