logjam
Noun
An excess of logs being conveyed on a river, so that their motion halts.
A clog or such jam or mess that halts or greatly delays progress.
Usage- Figurative
- Examples
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Efforts to amend the law got sidetracked in an administrative logjam.
Mr. Clinton can break the logjam by first convincing the public that he is willing to start with small but meaningful victories.
More examples (1)
It is in the interest of all NATO and E.U. members to break political logjams. Our personnel operating in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and the Gulf of Aden have already learned that lesson.
Verb
To deliberately impede or delay the progress of.
Usage- Transitive
- Related words
Noun
any stoppage attributable to unusual activity
- Examples
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the legislation ran into a logjam
an immovable mass of logs blocking a river
- Broader terms
Word forms
logjamslogjamslogjamminglogjammedlogjammed