roadblock

noun

road·​block ˈrōd-ˌbläk How to pronounce roadblock (audio)
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 And those that could in theory — Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft — would almost certainly run into regulatory roadblocks. Allison Morrow, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The West Bank, which is slightly smaller than the state of Delaware, was already carved up by checkpoints and roadblocks, including a 450-mile-long barrier that snakes through Palestinian land. Claire Parker, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 But the roadblocks preventing mixed-status families and other groups from filling out the FAFSA are largely out of their hands. The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 Identify any dependencies or potential roadblocks that could impact the transition process. Brandi Watterson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Underlining the joy of the day was exhaustion from the long and trying journey that led up to it, a saga of desperate relatives navigating a mental health system bedeviled by roadblocks and inconsistencies and, at key moments, brightened by dedicated public servants. Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 While students are facing roadblocks, financial aid officers have also had to reckon with form adjustments and software changes. Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 The roadblocks — both literal and digital — that prohibit Palestinians from receiving aid reveal what otherwise might go unnoticed: there’s a complex web of red tape and corporate interests that undergird the supposedly seamless digital transfers that happen online every day. Mia Sato, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024 The vetoes by the United States have also allowed two countries often criticized for their own human rights abuses, Russia and China, to accuse Washington of being a major roadblock to preventing more death and suffering in Gaza. Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roadblock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of roadblock was in 1913

Dictionary Entries Near roadblock

Cite this Entry

“Roadblock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roadblock. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

roadblock

noun
road·​block -ˌbläk How to pronounce roadblock (audio)
: 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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