1 B2 idiomatic neutral
To force out or displace something by occupying all available space or resources.
"Supermarket chains have gradually crowded out the small independent grocery stores."
separable
crowd out
B2 neutral separable transitive
To force something or someone out by filling the available space, leaving no room for them.
In plain English
When one thing takes up so much space that another thing gets pushed out and has no room left.
What does "crowd out" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic formal
(Economics) Of government borrowing: to reduce the funds available for private sector investment.
"Critics argued that high public spending was crowding out private investment."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic neutral
To prevent something from getting attention by filling the space with other things.
"Social media notifications were crowding out her ability to focus on deep work."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
A crowd pushing something outward until it has no space left.
Actually means
When one thing takes up so much space that another thing gets pushed out and has no room left.
Usage tip
Common in economics (government borrowing crowding out private investment), ecology (invasive species crowding out native ones), and everyday speech. Also used in scheduling and attention contexts.
Words that pair with "crowd out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
competition investment native species small businesses alternatives voices
How to conjugate "crowd out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
crowd out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
crowds out
he/she/it
Past simple
crowded out
yesterday
Past participle
crowded out
have + pp
-ing form
crowding out
continuous
Hear "crowd out" in the wild
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Other ways to say "crowd out"
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