obstacle
noun
ob·sta·cle
ˈäb-sti-kəl 
-ˌsti-
: 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
Vicki Bloom and B. B. Green-FieldExamples 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 on the Web
Powered by Adelaide, Forbes AI Running a company means facing obstacles that shake your foundation.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Players utilize a set of common rules -- that can be altered by the game master -- and dice to overcome obstacles as the group works to collaboratively tell a story.
—Remington Miller, Arkansas Online, 16 May 2025
Apparently not: whatever obstacles there may have been before, the original group will be performing together for the first time in three and a half decades this weekend, at the behest of Goldenvoice, for the promoter’s annual Cruel World festival in Pasadena.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 16 May 2025
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to bilateral relations is Ms. Hasina, whom India refuses to hand over to Bangladesh to stand trial on charges of corruption and human rights abuses.
—Simon Montlake, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obstacle
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Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Players utilize a set of common rules -- that can be altered by the game master -- and dice to overcome obstacles as the group works to collaboratively tell a story.
—Remington Miller, Arkansas Online, 16 May 2025
Apparently not: whatever obstacles there may have been before, the original group will be performing together for the first time in three and a half decades this weekend, at the behest of Goldenvoice, for the promoter’s annual Cruel World festival in Pasadena.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 16 May 2025
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to bilateral relations is Ms. Hasina, whom India refuses to hand over to Bangladesh to stand trial on charges of corruption and human rights abuses.
—Simon Montlake, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obstacle
Cite this Entry
“Obstacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obstacle. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
obstacle
noun
ob·sta·cle
ˈäb-sti-kəl
: something that stands in the way of progress or achievement : hindrance
drove around the obstacles in the road
didn't let shortness be an obstacle to a basketball career
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