as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the only stumbling block to our move across the country was finding someone to adopt our cats
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Recent Examples of stumbling block
Liverpool would have needed to pay compensation to convince Sunderland to terminate their loan arrangement, but the north-east club also needed to recruit a replacement and that was a stumbling block with the time pressures.
—
James Pearce, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The change could prove a stumbling block for people who need to ensure that mail such as bill payments, taxes or voting ballots are postmarked by specific dates.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
However, one of the stumbling blocks on this pathway is borate, which is a family of common compounds found in seawater.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Cannon’s second and third languages become stumbling blocks for the reader, and visual shortcuts for emotional distance.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumbling block
James Pearce, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The change could prove a stumbling block for people who need to ensure that mail such as bill payments, taxes or voting ballots are postmarked by specific dates.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
However, one of the stumbling blocks on this pathway is borate, which is a family of common compounds found in seawater.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Cannon’s second and third languages become stumbling blocks for the reader, and visual shortcuts for emotional distance.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumbling block
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling block
Noun
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The robot can respond to voice commands and is programmed to keep safe distances from people and obstacles.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
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The 21st century’s obstacles for young men—as seen in deaths of despair and lagging employment—have been amply publicized both by credible journalists and by charlatans such as Fuentes.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Kansas City Chiefs’ planned $3 billion stadium in Wyandotte County cleared a major hurdle on Friday, when the Kansas Legislature passed a bill creating a sports authority and renewing the underlying incentive program that will finance the megaproject.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
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The four-person crew of Artemis II is at Kennedy Space Center in Florida preparing to lift off and travel to the moon as early as Wednesday — and getting ready for any hurdles space may throw at them.—
Mark Strassmann,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Dozens of participants were later charged with misdemeanor offenses related to unlawful assembly and obstruction, with many ultimately placed into diversion programs requiring community service.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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The bill now requires the NYPD to form a plan for how to address and limit obstruction, intimidation and physical injury.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Sparing a county official from embarrassment is not a valid public purpose.—
David Plymyer,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Mar. 2026
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How can other young women and girls who wants to be creators online push through that embarrassment and stop worrying about what other people are thinking?—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling block.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling%20block. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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