logjam

noun

log·​jam ˈlȯg-ˌjam 

ˈläg-

1

: a jumble of logs jammed together in a watercourse

2

a

: deadlock, impasse

trying to break the logjam in negotiations

b

: blockage

c

: jam, crowd

logjam transitive verb

Synonyms

• backup
• bottleneck
• jam
• jam-up
• snarl
• tailback [British]
• tie-up

Examples of logjam in a Sentence

He was called in to try to break the logjam in the negotiations.

the presence of an ambulance on the side of the highway created a logjam of rubberneckers who just had to have a look

Recent Examples on the Web

Seroka, 59, met twice with President Biden, ultimately helping forge a solution that helped draw down the dozens of ships anchored outside the port, a logjam that only exacerbated air quality woes at California’s single largest source of pollution. —Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2024

That may be a wing dam, rock pile, roller dam apron, or a logjam. —M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 20 June 2024

Though there’s no longer an impending logjam, the team will still want to monitor Gil’s workload. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 30 May 2024

To avoid these logjams, the Pentagon needs to break the paradigm of single-year defense appropriations, which have in the past limited its ability to invest in greater production capacity. —Michael A. Brown, Foreign Affairs, 25 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1