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

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

The biggest roadblock for many people is the upfront acquisition costs, including down payments and inspections, he said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

The need to directly overrule the unit, they said, made it a roadblock — one that no longer exists.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

The $40 level—which acted as a significant roadblock since January 2024 with several rejections—should now see that former resistance turn into support.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

That strategy hit a roadblock in federal court, as a succession of rulings invalidated his attempt to revive the policy under different laws.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

But as I went around a blind comer I drove straight into what I had been trying to avoid: a roadblock.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• barricade
• blockade