noun · neutral
congestion
UK/kənˈdʒestʃən/US/kənˈdʒɛstʃən/con·GES·tion
a state of being overcrowded or blocked, especially referring to traffic on roads
Examples
“Rush‑hour congestion makes the commute much longer.”
“City planners try to reduce congestion by improving public transport.”
“There is heavy congestion on the motorway after the holiday.”
Band 8 sentence
“Implementing a congestion charge proved effective in reducing central‑city traffic during peak hours.”
Collocations
- heavy congestion
- traffic congestion
- reduce congestion
Word family
Common mistakes
There are many congestions on the road.→There is a lot of congestion on the road.
Traffic is congested many.→Traffic is heavily congested.
Say it for a higher band
5overcrowding→6jam→7+congestion
Synonyms
overcrowding
Easily confused
crowding
“Crowding at the concert made it hard to move around.”
Related words
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In City & Urban life
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