different between crowded vs chockablock

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?a?d?d/

Adjective

crowded (comparative more crowded, superlative most crowded)

1. Containing too many of something; teeming.

Synonyms

• dense, packed; see also Thesaurus:compact

Translations

Verb

crowded

1. simple past tense and past participle of crowd

English

Alternative forms

• chock-a-block
• chock a block
• choc-a-bloc

Etymology

chock + a + block

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t??k??bl?k/

Adjective

chockablock (comparative more chockablock, superlative most chockablock)

1. (nautical) (of a ship's hoisting tackle) Having the blocks drawn close together so no further movement is possible, as when the tackle is hauled to the utmost.
2. (by extension) Jammed tightly together; very crowded; completely filled or stuffed.

   Some of Sardinia's gorgeous seaside towns have lately been invaded by builders who erected chockablock housing that catered to middle-income tourists but threatened to spoil the landscape.

Derived terms

• chock
• chocka
• chocker
• chockers
• chokka

Translations

Adverb

chockablock (comparative more chockablock, superlative most chockablock)

1. In a crowded manner; as completely or closely as possible.

   His study had books stacked chockablock on every shelf.

   The meeting hall was chockablock full of angry citizens.

   • 2012, The Economist, Oct 13th 2012, Free exchange: Concrete gains

     AMERICA is full of vast, empty spaces. Europe, by contrast, seems chock-a-block with humanity, its history shaped by a lack of continental elbowroom.

Related terms

• chockful, chockfull, chock-full, chock full