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Glite Dictionary
🚦 To clear crowds 🤧 To clear blockage
to decongest

to decongest

5.2
To make a place less crowded by removing things that block it
  • verb
  • /ˌdiːkənˈdʒɛst/
translation icon : descongestionar
  • The new traffic lights are expected to decongest the busy intersection during rush hour.

Examples

  • And so suddenly, if you're doing The Walking, you're decongesting and you're bringing the garbage out and bringing the groceries in.

  • Under most conditions, you make a good case that transit projects don't decongest highways.

    Blog text (27)

  • I think it's time for us transit advocates to stop claiming transit can decongest highways because it rarely ever does.

    Blog text (27)

  • Regular exercise can help decongest the lungs and improve breathing.

  • Installing more bike lanes will decongest the roads and promote healthier commuting options.

Synonyms

to clear
vsto decongest
∞ 1.5

To remove people or things from a place

is narrower toward easing crowding and reducing buildup rather than general clearing
to unclog
vsto decongest
7 3.2

To remove something blocking a pipe or drain so water can flow

aims more broadly at easing crowding or built up blockages
to declutter
vsto decongest
5 4.1

To remove things you do not need from a room or desk to make it tidy

targets reducing crowding or buildup rather than only tidying or organizing
to unblock
vsto decongest
3 3.1

Remove something that stops a pipe, machine, or blood vessel from working

focuses on reducing crowding or buildup in places or systems
to unstuff
vsto decongest
1 7.4

To clear a blocked nose or ear so air can move

focuses more on reducing overall crowding not just single obstructions
to unclutter
vsto decongest
1 4.1

To remove things you do not need to make a place tidy and easier to use

emphasizes easing crowding and blocked systems rather than mere tidiness
to unchoke
vsto decongest
6.7

To remove a block so water or air can flow again

is about lowering crowding and buildup rather than only severe blocks
to deblock
vsto decongest
6.8

To remove a blockage from a pipe or drain

covers broader crowding or buildup removal in places and systems

Antonyms

to congest
1 5.3

To block or fill a place so things cannot move through it

How Congested

to block
∞ 3.0
to clog
21 3.2
to decongest
5.2
to clear
∞ 1.5

Surface Forms

decongest infinitive
decongested past
decongested past participle
decongesting present participle
decongests third person singular

Morphology

decongest = congest (transparent) = de + congest

The prefix 'de-' straightforwardly reverses or reduces the state expressed by 'congest', giving the meaning 'make less congested'.

Etymology

Decongest comes from the parts de- 'remove' and congest 'crowd together', which gives the image of taking people or things away from a busy place. So to decongest a road or a system is to 'remove the crowding' and make it work more smoothly.