obstruct

verb

ob·​struct əb-ˈstrəkt 

äb-

obstructed; obstructing; obstructs

transitive verb

1

: to block or close up by an obstacle

A piece of food obstructed his airway.

The road was obstructed by a fallen tree.

2

: to hinder from passage, action, or operation : impede

Constant interruptions obstruct our progress.

was charged with obstructing justice by lying to investigators

3

: to cut off from sight

A wall obstructs the view.

obstructive

əb-ˈstrək-tiv 

äb-

adjective or noun

obstructiveness noun

obstructor

əb-ˈstrək-tər 

äb-

noun

Synonyms of obstruct

• impede
• hinder
• hamper
• embarrass

Choose the Right Synonym for obstruct

hinder, impede, obstruct, block mean to interfere with the activity or progress of.

hinder stresses causing harmful or annoying delay or interference with progress.

rain hindered the climb

impede implies making forward progress difficult by clogging, hampering, or fettering.

tight clothing that impedes movement

obstruct implies interfering with something in motion or in progress by the sometimes intentional placing of obstacles in the way.

the view was obstructed by billboards

block implies complete obstruction to passage or progress.

a landslide blocked the road

Examples of obstruct in a Sentence

A large tree obstructed the road.

A piece of food obstructed his airway and caused him to stop breathing.

She was charged with obstructing police.

She was charged with obstructing justice by lying to investigators.

Recent Examples on the Web

Salah was convicted in April on one count of planting the hoax bomb and another count of obstructing the free exercise of religion. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025

Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan is facing federal charges for allegedly obstructing agents trying to arrest an undocumented immigrant. —John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 6 Nov. 2025

But the detectives thought there was evidence to support a charge for obstructing an officer—a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to nine months in jail—because Ryan had planted physical evidence meant to mislead them. —Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025

Sebastian was intubated because the swelling from the burns obstructed his airway, reducing his ability to breathe normally, Reynoso added. —Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin obstructus, past participle of obstruere, from ob- in the way + struere to build, heap up — more at ob-, strew

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for obstruct

• abduct
• conduct
• construct
• deduct
• destruct
• induct
• instruct
• aqueduct
• deconstruct
• reconstruct
• bucked
• chucked

Kids Definition

obstruct

verb

ob·​struct əb-ˈstrəkt 

äb-

1

: to close up by an obstacle

a fallen tree obstructed the roadway

2

: to be or get in the way of : hinder

lying to the police obstructs justice

Medical Definition

obstruct

transitive verb

ob·​struct əb-ˈstrəkt, äb- 

: to block or close up by an obstacle

veins obstructed by clots