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

Chinese construction companies are looking to the Middle East in the wake of a domestic property slowdown, but are running into roadblocks in the unfamiliar market. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2025

Early in 2025, the production allegedly hit a legal roadblock due to a clause in a settlement made with one of Jackson's former accusers, Jordan Chandler. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025

Kennedy had argued the animals exposed to flu may hold potential for disease research, but the agency said there was no evidence for this and yesterday the Canadian Supreme Court declined to weigh in on the case, removing the last legal roadblock to prevent their culling. —Max Saltman, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025

Despite the roadblocks, Couillard is part of the Wall Street cohort that sees upside for Danaher, raising his price target to $230 from $205. —Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 5 Nov. 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