obstruction
noun
ob·struc·tion
əb-ˈstrək-shən 
äb-
1
a
: the state of being obstructed
especially
: a condition of being clogged or blocked
an intestinal obstruction
She died from an obstruction of the airway.
b
: an act of obstructing
Passage of the law was delayed by the congressman's obstruction.
2
: something that obstructs
removing obstructions that block the path
a view without obstruction
Examples of obstruction in a Sentence
They are removing trees and other obstructions from the path.
cases of intestinal obstruction in children
She died from an obstruction of the airway.
He is on trial for the obstruction of a criminal investigation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Winner of the 1989 Academy Award for Documentary Feature, this moving film explores the human stories obscured by statistics, examining the cross-section of identities affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as efforts to combat the stigma, misinformation, and political obstruction that deepened the crisis.
—
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025
Fain refused to provide records requested by the monitor, constituting an obstruction of transparency and cooperation.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Donald was hit with a slew of charges including assault, strangulation, harassment, criminal obstruction of breathing and contempt of court in that case and was freed on $20,000 bail.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
Taiwan’s progressives, furious at the resulting obstruction, thus gathered enough signatures to vote on recalling roughly a third of the KMT’s legislators.
—Lev Nachman, Foreign Affairs, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obstruction
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025
Fain refused to provide records requested by the monitor, constituting an obstruction of transparency and cooperation.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Donald was hit with a slew of charges including assault, strangulation, harassment, criminal obstruction of breathing and contempt of court in that case and was freed on $20,000 bail.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
Taiwan’s progressives, furious at the resulting obstruction, thus gathered enough signatures to vote on recalling roughly a third of the KMT’s legislators.
—Lev Nachman, Foreign Affairs, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obstruction
Cite this Entry
“Obstruction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obstruction. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
obstruction
noun
ob·struc·tion
əb-ˈstrək-shən
äb-
1
: an act of obstructing : the state of being obstructed
2
: something that gets in the way : obstacle
Medical Definition
obstruction
noun
ob·struc·tion
əb-ˈstrək-shən, äb-
1
a
: an act of obstructing
b
: a condition of being clogged or blocked
intestinal obstruction
2
: something that obstructs
dislodge an airway obstruction
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share