face a bottleneck

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "face a bottleneck" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to describe a situation where progress is hindered or slowed down due to a specific limitation or obstacle. Example: "The project is facing a bottleneck due to a shortage of resources, which is delaying our timeline."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Molecular pharmacology, drawing on the work of geneticists and molecular biologists, has turned up multitudes of interesting receptors and other drug targets, but now scientists in the pharmaceutical industry face a bottleneck.

Science Magazine

But they do face a bottleneck in terms of getting consumers to download the app (which is a serious problem that faces most consumer-focused mobile apps we cover).

TechCrunch

With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technology, researchers face a bottleneck in terms of the time required to analyse the potential impact on disease aetiology of the many genetic variants routinely detected.

Bioinformatics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

With 39 detainees in custody at special cells near The Hague, it now faces a bottleneck.

The New York Times

However shortly thereafter, things may change and the other provider faces a bottleneck.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

This model presents high performance during the first stage but it faces a bottleneck during the second stage of the SPAM process.

Computers & Electrical Engineering

Current trends in photonic crystal microcavity biosensors in silicon-on-insulator (SOI), that focus on small and smaller sensors have faced a bottleneck trying to balance two contradictory requirements of resonance quality factor and sensitivity.

Biosensors and Bioelectronics

With an increased demand for such proteins, production "will soon face a dramatic bottleneck," he says.

Science Magazine

Multimedia services over resource constrained wireless sensor networks (WSNs) face a performance bottleneck issue from the gateway node to the sink node.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

That's because chips that use von Neumann architecture face a performance bottleneck and designers must now balance the functionality of the chips they design against how much power they'll consume.

TechCrunch

The country's debt agency said the shortfall in the sale reflected worsening market nerves, that it would sell back the retained amount to investors on secondary debt markets and that Germany would not face a funding bottleneck.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "face a bottleneck", clearly identify the specific bottleneck and explain its impact on the process or system. For instance, "The project faces a bottleneck in data analysis due to a lack of skilled personnel".

Common error

Avoid using "face a bottleneck" without specifying the exact cause or area of constraint. Instead of saying "The company faces a bottleneck", clarify with "The company faces a bottleneck in its supply chain due to logistical issues".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "face a bottleneck" functions as a verbal phrase, where "face" acts as a transitive verb taking "a bottleneck" as its object. It indicates that someone or something is encountering or dealing with a limiting factor. As evidenced by Ludwig AI, it is typically used to describe challenges in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

35%

News & Media

35%

Formal & Business

30%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "face a bottleneck" is a grammatically sound and widely understood expression used to describe encountering a significant obstacle that hinders progress. According to Ludwig AI, it's most commonly found in science, news, and business contexts, indicating a professional or neutral register. While there are various alternatives like ""encounter a constraint"" or ""meet an impediment"", the key to using this phrase effectively is to clearly identify the specific bottleneck and its impact. Avoiding vagueness and providing context enhances clarity and ensures the message is well-understood.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

encounter a constraint

Replaces "bottleneck" with a more general term for limitation or restriction.

meet an impediment

Substitutes "face" with "meet" and "bottleneck" with a formal term for obstacle, resulting in more formal tone.

confront a limitation

Changes "face" to "confront" and "bottleneck" to "limitation", emphasizing direct engagement with a restriction.

hit a snag

Uses a more informal and concise expression to indicate encountering a minor difficulty.

experience a delay

Focuses specifically on the aspect of delayed progress caused by an obstacle.

run into a challenge

Replaces "bottleneck" with "challenge", indicating a problem that requires effort to overcome.

suffer a setback

Highlights the negative impact of the obstacle on progress or performance.

reach a standstill

Indicates a complete halt in progress due to an obstruction.

be stymied by an obstacle

Expresses being blocked or frustrated by an external impediment.

find oneself in a predicament

Shifts the focus to the state of being in a difficult situation due to a constraining factor.

FAQs

What does it mean to "face a bottleneck"?

To "face a bottleneck" means to encounter a point of congestion or obstruction that slows down or impedes progress in a process, project, or system.

How can I use "face a bottleneck" in a sentence?

You can use "face a bottleneck" to describe situations where progress is being hindered. For example, "The production line is "facing a bottleneck" because of outdated equipment".

What are some alternatives to saying "face a bottleneck"?

Alternatives include "encounter a constraint", "meet an impediment", or "confront a limitation", depending on the desired level of formality and specific nuance.

Is it better to say "face a bottleneck" or "experience a bottleneck"?

"Face a bottleneck" emphasizes the act of confronting the issue, while "experience a bottleneck" focuses on the state of undergoing the difficulty. The choice depends on whether you want to highlight the action or the situation.