Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

bottleneck

noun

/ˈbɒt(ə)lˌnɛk/

Definition

A bottleneck refers to a point of congestion or blockage in a system that slows down progress or reduces efficiency.

Examples

Due to the bottleneck in production, the company was unable to meet the demand for its new product.
The traffic bottleneck at the intersection caused significant delays for commuters.
Improving the software’s processing speed alleviated the bottleneck in data analysis.

Meaning

The term describes a situation where the flow of a process is limited due to a specific point being too slow or restricted, which can hinder overall performance.