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

Israel regularly imposes restrictions on movement across the Palestinian occupied territory with some 925 checkpoints, roadblocks, earth mounds and other barriers. — Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026

Leaders have to define what good looks like, managers need regular conversations about progress and roadblocks and employees need room to decide how the work gets done. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

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

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