/ˈbɒtnɛk/ BŌT-něk

Definitions

1. noun

a narrow part of a container, typically at the neck, through which liquid or other contents are poured or drawn out

“She carefully poured the wine into a decanter, taking care not to spill any over the bottleneck.”

2. noun

a situation or point in a process where a system or procedure is slowed down or blocked by a shortage of capacity or resources

“The software’s bottleneck was the slow processor, which hindered the entire system’s performance.”

3. verb

to reduce or restrict the flow of something, such as traffic or a process

“The new traffic law aims to bottleneck the flow of cars into the city center during rush hour.”

4. verb

to control or limit the amount of something, such as resources or information

“The company’s bottleneck policies restrict access to sensitive data for all employees.”