logjam
logjam Lexical Profile
logjam Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A state of deadlock, impasse, or congestion that halts progress or prevents movement, especially in negotiations, politics, or administration.
"The mediator proposed a compromise to break the legislative logjam over the annual budget."
A crowded, tangled mass of floating logs or woody debris that blocks the flow of a river or stream.
"Heavy spring runoff carried fallen timber downstream, creating a massive logjam beneath the narrow bridge."
• verb
To bring to or reach a state of deadlock, congestion, or standstill.
"Procedural disputes threatened to logjam the committee's review for another month."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in mid-19th-century North American timber industry terminology from 'log' and 'jam', originally referring to massive tangles of felled timber obstructing river drives before acquiring its figurative sense of political or bureaucratic deadlock in the early 20th century.