I. ˈkläg also -ȯg noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English clogge
1. dialect Britain : a short thick piece of wood (as of a tree trunk or root) : log
2.
a. : a weight attached to a man or an animal to hinder motion
b. : something that shackles, restricts, or impedes motion or desired freedom of action : encumbrance 2
there are two inconsistent passions, which … are commonly clogs upon each other … ambition and avarice — Earl of Chesterfield
3. : a heavy shoe, sandal, or overshoe having a thick typically wooden sole — compare chopine , geta , patten , platform , sabot
4. : clog almanac
5. : clog dance
II. verb
( clogged ; clogged ; clogging ; clogs )
Etymology: Middle English cloggen to fasten a clog to, to fetter, from clogge, n.
transitive verb
1. : encumber:
a. : to impede the motion of (as with a chain or a burden)
mustangs are tamed by being clogged until they have run themselves footsore
her sides were clogged with the lazy weed that spawns in the Eastern seas — Rudyard Kipling
b. : to halt or retard operation, progress, or growth of
restraints that have been clogging the market — T.W.Arnold
all common ambitions, rank, possessions, power, the things which clog man's feet — John Buchan
2.
a. : to obstruct so as to hinder motion in or through : fill beyond capacity (as a limited space or narrow thoroughfare)
for … years drovers clogged the turnpikes with herds — American Guide Series: New York
the telephone lines were clogged — F.L.Allen
the jury system has undergone serious criticism in recent years, due in part to the clogging of the courts — C.B.Swisher
b. : to fill or block up the hollows, interior, interstices, or working parts of with an adhesive accumulation
excessive ink clogs the type
valves clogged with carbon
3.
a. : to fill (as the mind or the senses) so as to impair function
fear clogs the mind — Jawaharlal Nehru
b. : to overload (as a work of art) with irrelevant matter so as to obscure the essence
a great deal of … philosophizing clogs such movement as the book has — Elizabeth Janeway
4.
a. : to put clogs on
b. : to make into clogs : put wooden soles on (as on shoes)
intransitive verb
1. : to become clogged : become filled with extraneous matter
the heater clogged with dust, preventing proper circulation
2. : to coalesce or unite in a mass : come together
they meant to run him until his blood clogged on his heart as his brush with mud — John Masefield
3.
a. : to dance a clog dance
began to clog on the brick fireplace — Scott Fitzgerald
b. : to walk heavily : walk wearing or as if wearing clogs
he grabbed a towel and clogged out to take a shower — Thomas Gallagher
Synonyms: see hamper