obstruct
Americanverb (used with object)
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to block or close up with an obstacle; make difficult to pass.
Debris obstructed the road.
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to interrupt, hinder, or oppose the passage, progress, course, etc., of.
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to block from sight; to be in the way of (a view, passage, etc.).
verb
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to block (a road, passageway, etc) with an obstacle
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to make (progress or activity) difficult
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to impede or block a clear view of
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obstruct
First recorded in 1605–15, obstruct is from the Latin word obstructus (past participle of obstruere “to build or pile up in the way, bar”); see ob-, construct
Explanation
When you obstruct something, you block it. If you’re gobbling down your pizza, a chunk of crust you didn’t chew so well might obstruct your airway and you'll choke. Obstruct also means to get in the way so that you hide something from view. That fast food tower being built next to your beach house will obstruct your lovely ocean vistas. And that scene gives you a vivid illustration of the Latin roots the word comes from: ob- "against," and struere, "build." You can also obstruct something or someone by putting up a roadblock, literal or figurative: when you park yourself by the exit door, you obstruct everybody's way out.
Vocabulary lists containing obstruct
The Declaration of Independence
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List 1
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Obstruct, ob-strukt′, v.t. to block up, to hinder from passing, to retard.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various
But if the armipotent, or god of light, Obstruct Achilles, or commence the fight.
From The Iliad by Pope, Alexander
Obstruct all you want to, but you leave them alone!
From The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories by Twain, Mark
Obstruct a movement that the baby is making, and additional force is put into the movement to overcome the obstruction.
From Psychology A Study Of Mental Life by Woodworth, Robert S.
Obstruct not the luminous spring of thy soul with the thorns and brambles of vain and inordinate affections, and impede not the flow of the living waters that stream from the fountain of thine heart.
From Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh by Bahá'u'lláh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
