Stau — meaning in English

English meaning

• congestion noun A build-up of traffic, or the blockage this causes.
• gridlock noun A traffic jam so severe that vehicles cannot move in any direction; also used for a complete standstill in progress or negotiations.
• jam noun A sweet spread made by boiling fruit with sugar until it thickens.
• stasis noun A state of no movement or change; a standstill.

Senses

Stau is used for these senses in English:

• congestion An excess of traffic; usually not a complete standstill of traffic, so usually not synonymous with traffic jam.
• gridlock On a smaller scale, the situation in which cars enter a signal-controlled intersection too late during the green light cycle, and are unable to clear the intersection (due to congestion in the next block) when the light turns red, thus blocking the cross traffic when it's their turn to go. Repeated at enough intersections, this phenomenon can lead to citywide gridlock.
• jam (countable) A blockage, congestion, or immobilization.
• stasis (figurative) Inactivity; a freezing, or state of motionlessness.
• tailback (UK, Irish, Commonwealth) A line of motor vehicles causing or the result of traffic congestion or a traffic jam.
• traffic jam A situation in which road traffic accumulates until it is stationary or very slow.

congestion — full definition

1. noun A build-up of traffic, or the blockage this causes.
2. noun A blockage of mucus or fluid in the airways, such as a stuffy nose or chest.
3. noun Swelling caused by fluid build-up in body tissue.

gridlock — full definition

1. noun A traffic jam so severe that vehicles cannot move in any direction; also used for a complete standstill in progress or negotiations.
2. verb To bring to a complete standstill.

Related German words