obstacle course

American  

noun

1. a military training area having obstacles, as hurdles, ditches, and walls, that must be surmounted or crossed in succession.

2. Informal. an event, situation, course of action, or the like that presents many challenges or difficulties.

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Example Sentences

The logistical obstacle course they would need to navigate for the evacuation included soothing jumpy horses, scrambling for last-minute cargo flights and navigating Belgian bureaucracy.

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

But then their offensive sputtered to a halt as infantrymen and horse-drawn artillery became ensnared in the obstacle course of churned-up fields, abandoned trenches, and shattered roads left from the Battle of the Somme.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman