stumbling block

American  

noun

1. an obstacle or hindrance to progress, belief, or understanding.

   Synonyms:

   bar, block, impediment, barrier, hurdle

---

stumbling block British  

noun

1. any impediment or obstacle

---

stumbling block Idioms  

1. A hindrance or obstacle, as in His lack of a degree is a real stumbling block to his advancement. This term originally meant “a tree stump over which one trips.” Its figurative use dates from the early 1500s.

---

Etymology

Origin of stumbling block

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

A nuclear-power startup said it has found a workaround for the industry’s twin stumbling blocks: the expense and time it takes to build reactors.

From The Wall Street Journal

The stumbling block had been over products like beef and lamb.

From Barron's

The failure of the Saudi Arabia-financed LIV Golf to secure world ranking points for its events has been a stumbling block since the upstart circuit launched in 2022.

From Barron's

Also, given three of Ireland's six T20s during the home summer of 2025 were lost to the rain, cynics will likely point to weather in western Europe come September as a potential stumbling block too.

From BBC

“Corruption is a major obstacle and a stumbling block in the advancement of the party and the nation’s causes,” Xi said this week at a conclave of the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• barrier
• complication
• deterrent
• difficulty
• drawback
• hindrance
• hitch
• hurdle
• impediment
• obstacle
• setback
• snag