Definition

Verb (transitive and intransitive): * To become blocked or to cause something to become blocked, preventing normal flow or movement. It implies a gradual accumulation of material that creates an obstruction.

Usage

The verb "clog up" is used to describe a situation where a passage, pipe, channel, or system becomes blocked. It often describes a process where things accumulate over time. * It can be used transitively (with a direct object): "Something clogs up something else." * It can be used intransitively (without a direct object): "Something clogs up."

Examples

• Transitive use:
  • Hair and soap scum can clog up the shower drain.
  • Too many background processes clog up the computer's memory.
• Intransitive use:
  • The filter clogged up and had to be replaced.
  • Traffic clogs up every day during rush hour.

Advanced Usage

• "to be/get clogged up": The passive/participial adjective form is very common to describe the state of being blocked.
  • The arteries were clogged up with fatty deposits.
  • My nose is completely clogged up from this cold.

Variants and Related Words

• Clog (verb): A simpler form with the same core meaning. "Clog up" is often used for emphasis.
  • Leaves clog the gutter. / Leaves clog up the gutter.
• Clog (noun): A type of shoe or a blockage itself.
  • A clog in the pipe caused the flood.

Synonyms

• Block (up): To completely stop movement through.
• Choke (up): To block, often implying constriction.
• Congest: To cause excessive accumulation, especially in traffic or bodily passages.
• Jam (up): To become stuck or cause to become stuck, often tightly.
• Obstruct: To block or get in the way of.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Back up: For pipes and drains, this has a very similar meaning to "clog up," describing the result of a blockage where fluid cannot flow forward.
  • The sewer backed up because the main line was clogged up.

Related Idioms

• (Like) water off a duck's back: This idiom describes something having no effect, which is the opposite result of something that "clogs up." A surface that doesn't "clog up" allows things to flow away easily.
  • Criticism is like water off a duck's back to him; it never sticks or clogs up his confidence.

Verb

1. become or cause to become obstructed
   • The leaves clog our drains in the Fall
   • The water pipe is backed up