obstacle

noun ob·sta·cle \ ˈäb-sti-kəl , -ˌsti- \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Examples: obstacle in a Sentence

Definition of obstacle

: something that impedes progress or achievement

Mosquitoes were a great obstacle to the building of the Panama Canal.

… elders … often facing daily medical, social, and psychological obstacles.
—Vicki Bloom and B. B. Green-Field

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Examples of obstacle in a Sentence

He overcame the obstacles of poverty and neglect.
They must overcome a number of obstacles before the restaurant can be opened.
Lack of experience is a major obstacle for her opponent.
She swerved to avoid an obstacle in the road.

Recent Examples of obstacle from the Web

Nevertheless, Summerfest has faced major obstacles before.

— piet levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Summerfest in Milwaukee reports lowest attendance in at least 25 years," 13 July 2018
The company also faced obstacles due to an overvalued Italian currency during the 1990s, as well as a lack of interest in its signature sweaters, Forbes reported.

— Fox News, "Carlo Benetton, co-creator of fashion brand known for controversial ads, dies at 74," 11 July 2018
Veterans from these counties often face obstacles in transportation and technology, which makes finding and staying connected with a lawyer difficult.

— fleming smith, ajc, "UGA’s School of Law opens free legal clinic for veterans," 9 July 2018
Between the current cohort of five students, the women face different obstacles.

— matthew ormseth, courant.com, "Jubilee House: In A Former Convent, Women Find A Path To The Culinary World," 3 July 2018
Rescuers attempting to free a youth soccer team from a vast cave in northern Thailand face enormous obstacles if children who can't even swim are to don scuba gear and flee their watery prison before the rainy season ends in the fall.

— john bacon, USA TODAY, "'Life-or-death situation': Rescuers face huge obstacles to free Thailand soccer team from watery cave," 3 July 2018
Surprisingly, women face obstacles in procuring LARCs because the medical industry is ill-equipped to provide them.

— kayla webley adler, Marie Claire, "The IUD Vs. The World," 28 June 2018
Candidates to the left of the Democratic mainstream still face significant structural obstacles to victory.

— sarah jones, The New Republic, "Bernie Sanders Is Not the Left," 26 June 2018
But Tsipras and Zaev could face obstacles in their efforts to implement the agreement.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Why Macedonia’s Government Agreed to Change the Country’s Name," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obstacle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of obstacle

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin obstaculum, from obstare to stand in front of, from ob- in the way + stare to stand — more at ob-, stand

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

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