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

Members of the team’s young hitting core hit frustrating roadblocks, and what was supposed to be a special season ended with a stranger, more uncertain vibe. —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025

Maybe a mentor challenges you, or travel plans hit a roadblock. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

And big companies, which remain powerful societal actors, should embrace nascent ways to push back some of the roadblocks. —Justin Worland, Time, 10 Oct. 2025

While electric vehicles offer cleaner transportation and reduced emissions, their adoption still has roadblocks that must be taken care of. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 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