roadblock

American  

[rohd-blok] / ˈroʊdˌblɒk /

noun

roadblocks plural

1. 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.

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

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

4. an action, condition, etc., that obstructs progress toward an objective.

   Nationalism is a roadblock to European unity.

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verb (used with object)

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

roadblock British  

/ ˈrəʊdˌblɒk /

noun

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

2. a difficulty or obstacle to progress

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• roadblocks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of roadblock

First recorded in 1935–40; road + block

Explanation

A literal roadblock is a barricade or obstruction that's meant to block traffic. A figurative roadblock is any situation you encounter that makes it difficult or impossible to do what you want or need to do. When a driver encounters a roadblock, she has to stop and go back, or to take a detour and use a different route. This sort of roadblock might be set up to divert cars away from construction or an accident. Other roadblocks are obstructions to progress, like a lawsuit that halts construction on a building or the high cost of something: "The price of converting to a solar water heater was a roadblock to our plans."

Example Sentences

Smart glasses developed by various companies in various ways over the last 15 years or so have all eventually hit the same roadblock: They’re creepy.

From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026

Travel ball begins in June, and that’s the big roadblock for softball, with many coaches and players participating.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

The company cleared a major roadblock to its IPO earlier this week, when it won a legal fight with its co-founder turned Altman foe Elon Musk.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Justice Department on Friday said it would end its probe into Powell, clearing a major roadblock to Warsh’s confirmation.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 26, 2026

The dead become this massive roadblock standing between the Persians and the road to Sparta.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Related Words

• barricade
• blockade