bottleneck
/ˈbɒtlnek/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈɑtəlnˌɛk] /ˈbɑːtlnek/ (ame, ipa) · [bˈɑtəlnˌɛk] /ˈbä-tᵊl-ˌnek/ (ame, mw)
bottleneck — noun
- bottlenecksingular
- bottlenecksplural
1. a section of road that is too narrow or too busy, making vehicles slow down or c
a section of road that is too narrow or too busy, making vehicles slow down or come to a halt
The old bridge is the worst bottleneck on the entire motorway.
collocation: worst bottleneck
Salma left home an hour early to avoid the morning bottleneck near the factory.
collocation: avoid the bottleneck
Road crews finally widened the bottleneck where the two main roads meet.
A long bottleneck forms every evening where the highway drops from three lanes to one.
The tunnel entrance became a dangerous bottleneck after the traffic lights failed.
- congestion point
more formal; often used in traffic planning reports
- chokepoint
emphasises the physical narrowness rather than the resulting delay
常見錯誤
2. something that blocks or slows the flow of work, information, or activity so tha
something that blocks or slows the flow of work, information, or activity so that everything takes longer than it should
The small legal team has been a bottleneck for every new project this year.
Mauricio identified the approval process as the main bottleneck slowing the team down.
pattern: identify [X] as the bottleneck
Without more nurses, the emergency room will stay a bottleneck no matter what else we fix.
The customs office at the border creates a frustrating bottleneck for local businesses.
Anjali found that the old software system was the real bottleneck in the accounting department.
- facilitator
something that makes progress easier rather than blocking it
用法筆記
Often used about bureaucratic systems, company workflows, or any situation where tasks move through stages and get stuck at one point.
bottleneck — verb
- bottleneckpresent simple I / you / we / they
- bottlenecks3rd person singular
- bottlenecking-ing form
- bottleneckedpast simple
1. to hold up a process or movement by creating a tight point where things cannot p
to hold up a process or movement by creating a tight point where things cannot pass through freely
The narrow doorway bottlenecked the crowd as everyone tried to leave at once.
A single broken machine bottlenecked the entire production line for three days.
transitive: bottlenecked + [noun phrase]
Strict visa rules bottleneck the flow of skilled workers into the country.
The outdated phone system bottlenecked customer service during the holiday rush.
Road repairs bottlenecked traffic on the main street for most of the summer.
- expedite
to make a process move faster rather than slower
文法句型
bottleneck + [noun phrase]
用法筆記
Transitive only. The subject is almost always a thing — a rule, a machine, a narrow space — rather than a person. Less common in everyday speech than the noun; people more often say 'create a bottleneck'.