roadblock

[ rohd-blok ]

/ ˈroʊdˌblɒk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR roadblock ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an obstruction placed across a road, especially of barricades or police cars, for halting or hindering traffic, as to facilitate the capture of a pursued car or inspection for safety violations.

an obstruction on a road, as a fallen tree or a pile of fallen rocks.

a hastily built barricade, as of barbed wire, erected across a road to hold up the advance of an enemy.

an action, condition, etc., that obstructs progress toward an objective: Nationalism is a roadblock to European unity.

verb (used with object)

to halt or obstruct with or as if with a roadblock.

RELATED WORDS

blockade, barricade, obstruction

Nearby words

road-show, road-test, road-train, roadability, roadbed, roadblock, roadeo, roadguard, roadholding, roadhouse, roadie

Origin of roadblock

First recorded in 1935–40; road + block

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for roadblock

For over a decade, those trying to make better sunscreen found a roadblock at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Nazis, Sunscreen, and Sea Gull Eggs: Congress in 2014 Was Hella Productive|Ben Jacobs|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Mitchell was looking to expand his enterprise in the mid-2000s, he ran into a roadblock.
At This Creepy Libertarian Charter School, Kids Must Swear ‘to Be Obedient to Those in Authority’|ProPublica|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not far from the drop-off point, the team ran into their first roadblock.
The Original Ebola Hunter|Abby Haglage|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The roadblock was an example of how quickly the reality on the ground is changing.
Pro-Russian Rebels Brag Kiev Is Next|Ted Phillips|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We knew as we approached that this roadblock was supposed to be one of the most difficult to get through in the region.
Held at Gunpoint by Ukraine Rebels|Anna Nemtsova|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then, tonight, you took the chance of finding the roadblock.
The Flaming Mountain|Harold Leland Goodwin
The governor's car with its police escort rolled through the streets of Calor, en route to the roadblock at the hotel road.
The Flaming Mountain|Harold Leland Goodwin
Ten yards past the roadblock he turned around and looked at Malone.
Occasion for Disaster|Gordon Randall Garrett
Removal of this roadblock has high priority in my legislative recommendations.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various
A quarter of a mile ahead of the fugitives, the first of the four roadblock units came plowing over the rise.
Code Three|Rick Raphael

British Dictionary definitions for roadblock

roadblock

/ (ˈrəʊdˌblɒk) /

noun

a barrier set up across a road by the police or military, in order to stop a fugitive, inspect traffic, etc

a difficulty or obstacle to progress

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for roadblock

roadblock

1940, from road + block (n.).