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
-
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.
It expects this to mean tournament officials will be able to "track players reliably during fast or obstructed movements" and says final decisions will be "displayed more realistically and in a more engaging way".
From BBC
After visitation surged during the pandemic, some neighbors were accused by county officials of placing boulders to obstruct public parking.
From Los Angeles Times
Top tips are to minimise light in your vicinity and watch from a spot where your view is not obstructed by tall buildings or trees.
From BBC
Given that he is the executor, how much can he obstruct the process or conceal the division of property?
From MarketWatch
Visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday urged Kurdish-led forces to integrate into Syria's army and not obstruct the country's stability, as the deadline for implementing a deal between Damascus and the Kurds approaches.
From Barron's
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.
