roadblock

noun

road·​block ˈrōd-ˌbläk 

1

a

: a barricade often with traps or mines for holding up an enemy at a point on a road covered by fire

b

: a road barricade set up especially by law enforcement officers

2

: an obstruction in a road

3

: something that blocks progress or prevents accomplishment of an objective

roadblock transitive verb

Examples of roadblock in a Sentence

That's the one roadblock to the plan.

roadblocks on the path to success

Recent Examples on the Web

This achievement removes one of the biggest roadblocks in quantum materials science and brings practical quantum devices much closer to reality. —Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 14 Dec. 2025

Smith works with each client to rethink and challenge their negative thoughts, which helps rid them of internal roadblocks. —Maria Williams, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025

Hollywood has overcome many roadblocks of late, between the coronavirus pandemic and the crippling nature of 2023’s acting and writing strikes. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2025

That’s an immediate roadblock for large institutions like banks, whose clients largely don’t want their balances and payments history open to prying eyes. —Ben Weiss, Fortune, 9 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for roadblock

• alcock
• beanstalk
• bedrock
• boardwalk
• catwalk
• cornstalk
• crosswalk
• deadlock
• feedstock
• fetlock
• flintlock
• goshawk

Kids Definition

roadblock

noun

road·​block -ˌbläk 

: a blocking of a road (as by police officers)

Legal Definition

roadblock

noun

road·​block

: a road barricade set up by law enforcement officers especially for the purpose of detecting criminal activity