# clog

/ˈkɫɑɡ/ (US) · /klˈɒɡ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/clog
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to block a passage

verb · CEFR B1

to block a pipe, road, or opening so that nothing can get through.

For teachers: to obstruct or hinder passage through a channel, pipe, or opening, often by an accumulation of material.

- Hair and soap can easily clog the shower drain if you are not careful.
- The narrow arterial roads were quickly clogged by heavy snow, bringing the city's entire transport network to a standstill within hours.

### 2. to hinder or burden

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to make it difficult for someone to move or act by giving them too much to carry or do.

For teachers: to encumber or hamper movement or progress; to load with something that impedes efficiency.

- The new rules clog the system and make it harder for small businesses.
- The legal proceedings were clogged by endless bureaucratic delays, preventing the plaintiff from reaching a resolution for several years.

### 3. mortgage law

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

to prevent a borrower from getting their property back after paying a debt.

For teachers: to enforce a lender's right that prevents a borrower from exercising their equitable right to redeem a mortgage.

- The court ruled that the contract was an illegal clog on the borrower's rights.
- The judge determined that the option to purchase the property constituted a clog on the equity of redemption and was therefore void.

Usage: Usually appears in the phrase 'clog on the equity of redemption'.

### 4. a blockage

noun · CEFR B2

something that blocks a pipe or a tube.

For teachers: a physical obstruction or accumulation of material that prevents flow.

- The plumber had to use a special tool to remove a stubborn clog in the pipes.
- A significant clog in the cooling system caused the engine to overheat during the long journey across the desert.

### 5. wooden shoe

noun · CEFR B1

a shoe made entirely or mostly of wood.

For teachers: a type of footwear with a thick, typically wooden sole, often associated with traditional European folk dress.

- In the souvenir shop, they sold tiny painted clogs from the Netherlands.
- The rhythmic sound of wooden clogs on the cobblestone streets echoed through the village during the traditional festival.

## Examples

- The judge ruled that the evidence was inadmissible due to the clog.
- The defense attorney argued that the witness's testimony was inadmissible because of a clog related to the previous settlement.
- The court applied the clog to prevent the prosecution from using the defendant's private diary entries, which had been discovered during a search of a property where the two parties had previously settled a dispute.

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