bottleneck
gb/bˈɑtəlnˌɛk/ us/bˈɑtəlnˌɛk/
B2
English
szűk keresztmetszet, torlódási pont, palack nyaka, lelassít, szűk keresztmetszetet okoz
NOUN
B2
1
Usage pattern:
a bottleneck in [a process/system]; [something] creates/causes/removes a bottleneck
The approval stage has become the main bottleneck in the hiring process.
A jóváhagyási szakasz lett a felvételi folyamat fő szűk keresztmetszete.
Old database servers created a bottleneck for the entire website.
A régi adatbázis-szerverek jelentették az egész weboldal fő szűk keresztmetszetét.
The company hired more support staff to remove a major customer-service bottleneck.
Learner examples
Shipping is the bottleneck in our project.
A szállítás a projektünk szűk keresztmetszete.
One slow computer can be a bottleneck for the whole team.
Egy lassú számítógép az egész csapat számára szűk keresztmetszet lehet.
Common mistake:
Do not use it for any small problem; a bottleneck specifically slows the flow or progress of a larger system.
Meaning
point that slows progress
Collocations
major bottleneck
|serious bottleneck
|main bottleneck
|create a bottleneck
|cause a bottleneck
|identify a bottleneck
|remove a bottleneck
|production bottleneck
|supply-chain bottleneck
|performance bottleneck
Synonyms
constraint (more general and often more formal; anything that limits action or capacity)
|
choke point (emphasizes a narrow or overloaded point where flow is restricted)
|
obstacle (broader; something that blocks progress, not necessarily by limiting flow)
Antonyms
enabler (something that makes progress easier rather than slowing it)
|
streamlined process (a process designed to move smoothly without delays)
Themes
business
|work
|technology
|logistics
|productivity
Definition
the part of a process that makes the whole process slower
a point, step, person, or problem in a process or system that has too little capacity and slows everything else down
NOUN
B2
2
Usage pattern:
a bottleneck on/at [a road/place]
The bridge is a bottleneck during the morning commute.
A híd a reggeli ingázás idején szűk keresztmetszetet jelent.
Security screening became a bottleneck when several flights arrived at once.
A biztonsági ellenőrzés szűk keresztmetszetté vált, amikor egyszerre több járat érkezett.
The new lane should help ease the bottleneck near the tunnel.
Learner examples
This road is a bottleneck at 8 a.m.
Ez az út reggel nyolckor szűk keresztmetszet.
The small gate caused a bottleneck at the entrance.
A kis kapu szűk keresztmetszetet okozott a bejáratnál.
Common mistake:
A bottleneck is usually the place or cause of the delay; a traffic jam is the line of stopped or slow vehicles.
Meaning
narrow congested place
Collocations
traffic bottleneck
|road bottleneck
|rush-hour bottleneck
|bridge bottleneck
|airport bottleneck
|border bottleneck
|create a bottleneck
|ease a bottleneck
|clear a bottleneck
|avoid a bottleneck
Synonyms
choke point (very close in meaning; often used for strategic or traffic-related narrow points)
|
pinch point (often used in traffic or engineering contexts)
|
constriction (more physical or technical; a narrowing)
Antonyms
open stretch (a place where movement can continue freely)
|
wide section (the opposite of a narrow point)
Themes
transport
|traffic
|urban_life
|logistics
Definition
a place where movement becomes slow because the space is too narrow or too busy
a narrow or crowded place where traffic, people, goods, or other movement is forced to slow down or stop
NOUN
B2
3
palack nyaka
A2
Usage pattern:
the bottleneck of [a bottle]; around/through the bottleneck
She tied a ribbon around the bottleneck.
Szalagot kötött a palack nyakára.
The bottleneck was too narrow for the cleaning brush.
A palack nyaka túl keskeny volt a tisztítókeféhez.
A cork was stuck inside the bottleneck.
Learner examples
He held the bottle by the bottleneck.
A palackot a nyakánál fogta.
The bottleneck is very narrow.
A palack nyaka nagyon keskeny.
Common mistake:
In ordinary speech, people often say “the neck of the bottle” for this literal meaning.
Meaning
narrow top of bottle
Collocations
narrow bottleneck
|long bottleneck
|glass bottleneck
|around the bottleneck
|through the bottleneck
|hold the bottleneck
Synonyms
neck (the usual everyday word for the narrow top part of a bottle)
|
mouth (refers more specifically to the opening of the bottle)
Antonyms
base (the bottom part of the bottle)
|
body (the wider main part of the bottle)
Themes
objects
|containers
|daily_life
Definition
the narrow part at the top of a bottle
the narrow upper part of a bottle, near the opening
VERB
C1
4
Usage pattern:
[something] bottlenecks [a process/system]; [a process/system] is bottlenecked by/at [something]
A shortage of inspectors bottlenecked the construction schedule.
Az ellenőrhiány lelassította az építkezés ütemtervét.
Requests were bottlenecked at the review stage.
A kérelmek az ellenőrzési szakaszban akadtak el.
The narrow exit bottlenecked the crowd after the concert.
Learner examples
The slow printer bottlenecked the office work.
A lassú nyomtató lelassította az irodai munkát.
Our project was bottlenecked by one approval form.
A projektünket egyetlen jóváhagyási űrlap akasztotta meg.
Common mistake:
This verb is less common than the noun and is often used in the passive form, as in “The process is bottlenecked at the review stage.”
Meaning
slow or restrict progress
Collocations
bottleneck production
|bottleneck traffic
|bottleneck performance
|bottleneck the process
|bottleneck the system
|be bottlenecked by
|be bottlenecked at
|get bottlenecked
Synonyms
constrain (more formal; limit what is possible)
|
hold up (more informal; delay progress)
|
slow down (more general and simpler; reduce speed)
|
restrict (limit movement, amount, or progress)
Antonyms
streamline (make a process smoother and faster)
|
speed up (make something move or happen faster)
|
facilitate (make progress easier)
Themes
business
|technology
|logistics
|transport
Definition
to make a process or flow slower at one point
to slow or restrict the movement, progress, or capacity of something by creating a bottleneck
Grammar
Dictionary form
bottleneck
IPA
GB/bˈɑtəlnˌɛk/
US/bˈɑtəlnˌɛk/
Syllables & stress
bot - tle - neck (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (bot)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: bottleneck
- Plural: bottlenecks
Verb
- Base: bottleneck
- 3rd Person Singular: bottlenecks
- Present Participle: bottlenecking
- Past: bottlenecked
Expressions
bottleneck effect
1/bˈɑtəlnˌɛk ɪfˈɛkt/
fixed phrase
technical
reduced genetic diversity
a situation where many members of a species die, so the remaining population has less genetic variety
Examples
- The island fox population shows signs of a bottleneck effect after a severe decline in the 1990s.
- Conservation biologists worry that the bottleneck effect can make a species more vulnerable to disease.
- A small founding population may produce a bottleneck effect even if the population later becomes large.
Learner examples
- The bottleneck effect can reduce genetic diversity.
- After many animals died, the species suffered a bottleneck effect.