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

Arlington native Seth Jones has been on the verge of playing in the Olympics for over a decade, and roadblocks always seemed to stand in his way. —Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 21 Jan. 2026

Reinvention begins with a roadblock. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

District judges, meanwhile, continue to throw up roadblocks to the president’s plans. —Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026

Amid the uncertainty, innovative medicines may continue to face roadblocks on their path to Europe. —Juergen Eckhardt, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

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