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

Despite multiple legal attempts, Satterthwaite has faced roadblocks at every turn, with JAY-Z’s legal team allegedly working to squash paternity testing. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 11 Dec. 2024

Kroger’s plans to buy its grocery rival Albertsons hit a major roadblock Tuesday, when a federal judge put a halt to the deal, which would be the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history. —Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

But this year, the exercise has faced serious roadblocks between and among parties, including GOP amendments that focus more on cultural political divisions than arguments over war and peace. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2024

However, despite a deep focus on either tag teaming projects and building plans, something could hit a major roadblock at this time. —Kyle Thomas, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

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