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-FieldSynonyms
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 on the Web
Deer Mountain Inn does have on its website 3D tours of the cabins, including the ADA-compliant Burroughs cabin, which can help travelers identify accessibility features (or obstacles) that may be of interest.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2024
These parts help limit the bumps that reach your body and keep your rear tire in contact with the trail across all sorts of terrain and obstacles.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 18 July 2024
Naturally, there are obstacles to planting the Big Ten Network flag in Florida, over and above the ACC’s contractual situation.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024
The Dreame successfully sucked up a pile of Cheerios, which the Roborock thought was an obstacle, but the Dreame got stuck on a stray iPhone cable that the Roborock dodged.
—Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for obstacle 
Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2024
These parts help limit the bumps that reach your body and keep your rear tire in contact with the trail across all sorts of terrain and obstacles.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 18 July 2024
Naturally, there are obstacles to planting the Big Ten Network flag in Florida, over and above the ACC’s contractual situation.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024
The Dreame successfully sucked up a pile of Cheerios, which the Roborock thought was an obstacle, but the Dreame got stuck on a stray iPhone cable that the Roborock dodged.
—Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for obstacle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obstacle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near obstacle
Cite this Entry
“Obstacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obstacle. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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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