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
- obstructedly adverb
- obstructer noun
- obstructingly adverb
- obstructive adjective
- obstructively adverb
- obstructiveness noun
- obstructor noun
- preobstruct verb (used with object)
- unobstructed adjective
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”); ob-, construct
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.
On 16 January, Yoon was found guilty of abuse of power, falsifying documents and obstructing justice when he tried and failed to impose martial law in the country in 2024.
From BBC
She told associates she was frustrated by the limited power she had to influence community-bank matters, and felt some governors and staff members weren’t taking her seriously or were deliberately obstructing her, the people said.
Lord Stevens, recalling his investigations, has said: "I was misled deliberately, I was criminally obstructed from doing my job by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and military, whilst MI5 failed to disclose information."
From BBC
“We respect that Second Amendment right, but those rights don’t count when you riot and assault, delay, obstruct, and impede law enforcement officers — and most especially when you mean to do that beforehand,” he said.
From Salon
Englander pled guilty in 2021 to obstructing a federal investigation into whether he improperly received gifts from developers while in office.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
