roadblock

American  

[rohd-blok] / ˈroʊdˌblɒk /

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of roadblock

First recorded in 1935–40; road + block

Example Sentences

State and local governments threw up roadblocks to both.

From The Wall Street Journal

Issues that weren’t a problem when the home was built in 1974, such as its height and its closeness to the ocean, threw up roadblocks.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The big roadblock for the things he'd like to do are the state of the New York, the financial capacity of the state and the political willingness of the governor."

From BBC

Lotus’s expansion into ice cream and chocolate products also hit roadblocks.

From The Wall Street Journal

As Europe seeks to curb its dependence on China for rare earths, plans to mine the continent's biggest deposit have hit a roadblock over fears that mining operations could harm endangered beetles, mosses and mushrooms.

From Barron's

Related Words

• barricade
• blockade