obstacle course
Americannoun
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a military training area having obstacles, as hurdles, ditches, and walls, that must be surmounted or crossed in succession.
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Informal. an event, situation, course of action, or the like that presents many challenges or difficulties.
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.
Show jumping pits a horse and rider against an obstacle course, where they clear fences against the clock.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
But for the 35 residents of Kapisillit, getting to that care is an obstacle course.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
The first element in the men's and women's sprints sees athletes run uphill with skis on their boots through an obstacle course that includes two sets of diamonds that competitors have to negotiate around.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
It’s a daily obstacle course to get through the world with kindness, compassion, understanding and equanimity.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025
Microphone cables crisscrossed the living room, posing an obstacle course for a pregnant Molly as she waited impatiently for Ernest to traipse home from campus.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
