chokepoint
1
7.6
- noun
- /ˈtʃoʊkˌpɔɪnt/
:
punto crítico
- The bridge became a major chokepoint during rush hour, causing long traffic delays.
- control of key chokepoints
Examples
-
These passageways are the chokepoints where the potential for the disruption of tanker traffic by terrorist attacks or naval blockades is greatest.
Academic text (2007) -
At Derbent, the mountains jut out toward the Caspian plain, coming within less than a mile of the sea, meaning the city sits atop a strategic chokepoint.
Academic text (2008) -
And the domain name system is the central chokepoint where control of the Internet can be exercised.
Academic text (2005) -
The Japanese will be guarding a major artery... at a chokepoint like that.
-
Have all our subs converge on that chokepoint.
-
This road's a chokepoint.
-
Even the critical chokepoints of maritime commerce could be kept open in the face of attempts by countries or terrorists to wreak havoc in them.
Academic text (2007) -
Negotiations for a pipeline that would transport Caspian Sea oil to China through Kazakhstan are slowly moving forward, but China remains heavily dependent on international sea lanes, especially through the Strait of Malacca and other navigational chokepoints, to bring oil from Africa and the Middle East.
Academic text (2005) -
Threats to close the key chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, ongoing support for terrorist groups, and provocative rhetoric about wiping Israel off the map hardly promote a sense of optimism that Iran would behave as a responsible nuclear-armed state.
Blog text (7) -
Emergency vehicles struggled to get through the chokepoint created by the fallen tree on the road.
Synonyms
43
4.4
A thing that blocks a passage like a pipe or artery
38
4.1
Something that blocks a pipe or blood vessel and stops flow
21
4.6
A narrow place, like where lanes merge, that slows movement
1
6.5
A narrowing in a tube or pipe that reduces flow
Antonyms
How Restricted
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word chokepoint comes from choke ('to block' or 'stop') and point ('a spot'). Think of a narrow road or sea route where cars or ships must pass one small spot and get stuck, like a bottleneck, so a chokepoint is a place where movement slows or is stopped.