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

While there are some working models, there are still many engineering roadblocks to road-worthy cars that can truly fly. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Police are set to increase deployments, particularly in areas affected by violence, and reinforce roadblocks and vehicle checkpoints, according to the executive. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Lithium demand could become even more intense if regulatory roadblocks delay the resumption of Contemporary Amperex Technology's upstream production, per Roberts. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

State vaccine production could face a few conceivable roadblocks. — Joel Dodge, STAT, 14 Oct. 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