roadblock

road·block | \ ˈrōd-ˌbläk

How to pronounce roadblock (audio)

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Definition of roadblock

1a : 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

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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 On Wednesday afternoon, the day after MLB accused it of throwing roadblocks in front of problems and being a reluctant participant in negotiations, MiLB counterpunched. — Michael Silverman, BostonGlobe.com, "Major League Baseball and minor leagues are sparring publicly again," 29 Jan. 2020 In the Guatemalan town of Morales, authorities were checking documents at a roadblock and police officers were accompanied by four agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). — Fox News, "Mexico says it will block migrant caravan en route to US from Honduras," 17 Jan. 2020 Farther along toward the Guatemalan capital in the town of Morales, National Police were checking migrants’ documents at a roadblock. — Washington Post, "100s of migrants advance to Guatemala from Honduras," 16 Jan. 2020 The robbers killed a security guard, then fatally shot two police officers at a roadblock. — Bob Egelko, SFChronicle.com, "How will childhood among radicals impact Chesa Boudin as SF’s district attorney?," 4 Jan. 2020 Danco, who was nearby, headed home to try to retrieve more items but was stopped at a roadblock on Palisades Drive. — Los Angeles Times, "Fires burn across Southern California as dangerous winds continue through Friday," 22 Oct. 2019 Finicum drove away from a police stop and crashed his truck into a snowbank to avoid FBI agents and police at a roadblock. — oregonlive, "Ryan Payne, Victoria Sharp’s lawsuit over police stop, shooting death of LaVoy Finicum dismissed," 7 Sep. 2019 Commuters were also subjected to security checks at roadblocks. — Mark Chingono, Bukola Adebayo And Brent Swails, CNN, "Violence escalates in Zimbabwe as court rules against opposition protests," 16 Aug. 2019 The one who greets reporters every few hours at a roadblock, set up to prohibit access to the Betts’ cul-de-sac. — Keith Bierygolick, Cincinnati.com, "In Bellbrook, the police chief protects a mass shooter’s family," 5 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'roadblock.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

7 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Roadblock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roadblock. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.

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