as in obstacles
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 blocks
But the process has been riddled with stumbling blocks – including persistent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which threatened to derail US-Iran talks last week.
—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
Since then, the process has stretched to require four different levels of review, each with a list of procedural requirements that pose stumbling blocks for prisoners seeking help.
—
Christie Thompson,
NPR,
17 June 2026
Irving's complicated journey with leadership has been well documented, from his controversial trade request from Cleveland to stumbling blocks in Boston and Brooklyn.
—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Apr. 2026
The stumbling blocks to dialogue are immense.
—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 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
Overcoming Challenges Rickson’s journey wasn’t without its stumbling blocks.
—
K.h. Koehler,
USA Today,
11 Dec. 2025
One of the stumbling blocks—the principal stumbling block—to his doing more with Presley was the boy's manager, Bob Neal, who seemed infuriatingly unsusceptible to persuasion, promotion, or even recognition of his own (let alone his artist's) ever-increasing opportunities.
—
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
Since then, the process has stretched to require four different levels of review, each with a list of procedural requirements that pose stumbling blocks for prisoners seeking help.
—
Christie Thompson,
NPR,
17 June 2026
Irving's complicated journey with leadership has been well documented, from his controversial trade request from Cleveland to stumbling blocks in Boston and Brooklyn.
—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Apr. 2026
The stumbling blocks to dialogue are immense.
—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 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
Overcoming Challenges Rickson’s journey wasn’t without its stumbling blocks.
—
K.h. Koehler,
USA Today,
11 Dec. 2025
One of the stumbling blocks—the principal stumbling block—to his doing more with Presley was the boy's manager, Bob Neal, who seemed infuriatingly unsusceptible to persuasion, promotion, or even recognition of his own (let alone his artist's) ever-increasing opportunities.
—
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling blocks
Noun
-
There was an element of cynicism, but not on the part of determined prosecutors who overcame obstacles and brought the case to guilty pleas by three defendants and the conviction on 21 counts of the public official who ignited the scandal.
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But obstacles veered her away from art for years.
Noun
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Working with researchers at the Freie Universität Berlin, the University of Edinburgh, and Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, IQM has developed a new family of error correction called directional tile codes, addressing major hurdles in quantum error correction.
-
The bill targets the cost of construction, regulatory red tape, zoning restrictions, and banking hurdles.
Noun
-
To have the best chance of viewing the planetary alignment, find a spot free of light pollution and a view of the horizon without obstructions like trees or tall buildings.
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Not just crashes, but obstructions, emergency scene conflicts, unexpected stops in travel lanes and response-time performance.
Noun
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The Broadway production has also formed an official partnership with mental health nonprofit Project Healthy Minds to reduce barriers to care by making support options for mental health services easily accessible to those in need.
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Deloitte's State of AI in the Enterprise research similarly highlights governance, risk management and data readiness as some of the most significant barriers to scaling AI successfully.
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling blocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling%20blocks. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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