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

But early optimism about a simple deal to reduce India's high tariffs has hit roadblocks over disagreements on U.S. import duties for auto parts steel and farm goods, Indian officials with direct knowledge said. —David Lawder, USA Today, 28 June 2025

While Senate committee leaders have made several significant changes to the bill in recent days, the issue of funding for rural hospitals has emerged as a major roadblock. —Claudia Grisales, NPR, 25 June 2025

However, that vision just hit a procedural roadblock. —James Broughel, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

The first priority should be removing roadblocks, not cementing them in place. —Ed Towns, New York Daily News, 23 June 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