as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
an obstruction in the drain has the water all backed up
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obstruction
News that a federal grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction has sparked reactions from a slew of high-ranking leaders across the political spectrum.
—
Melina Khan, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
Comey is accused of making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding back in 2020.
—Ed White, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 2025
For a time, Lisa Marie, who died at age 54 in January 2023 due to complications of a bowel obstruction, lived in Clearwater to be near the organization.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Robinson faces murder and other felony charges, including discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering for allegedly instructing his roommate not to cooperate with authorities.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obstruction
Melina Khan, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
Comey is accused of making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding back in 2020.
—Ed White, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 2025
For a time, Lisa Marie, who died at age 54 in January 2023 due to complications of a bowel obstruction, lived in Clearwater to be near the organization.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Robinson faces murder and other felony charges, including discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering for allegedly instructing his roommate not to cooperate with authorities.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obstruction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obstruction
Noun
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Over the next 12 months, HMS will gain access to mentorship, commercial opportunities, business and legal advisory, digital tools, and physical resources such as co-working spaces and wet labs, support designed to help early-stage companies overcome common obstacles that startups face.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
29 Sep. 2025
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The permit problem According to Saltzer, capture is lagging because, despite available storage and existing pipelines, permitting new CO2 infrastructure remains a major obstacle.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The additional hurdle for H-1B visas—a category for high-skilled workers that many tech companies rely upon—could undermine America’s ability to attract top tech talent, Bansal explained.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
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Of course, there’s still a final hurdle for Cootes to leap over in the final week of the preseason.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There are more costs — to say nothing of further public embarrassment — to consider.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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During reunion weekend, former editors and writers also like to see their youthful work through a lens of nostalgia, (sometimes) embarrassment, and joy.—
Joshua Finnell,
JSTOR Daily,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Whatever the eventual outcome, most observers are wary of such political interference in traditionally independent bodies.—
Nick Thomas,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
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Due to their isolated nature, rogue planet observations don’t suffer from interference caused by stellar radiation from host stars.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The proposal of a drone wall, which is particularly supported by Baltic and Eastern European states, is intended as both a deterrence and defensive barrier, as well as a way to pool resources to bolster Europe’s collective defense.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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Prospective vehicle buyers consistently rate a lack of charging infrastructure as a key barrier to entry for EV adoption.—
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obstruction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obstruction. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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