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

Indian production house Maddock Films faces major legal roadblock just days ahead of its latest release, the Hindi film Bhool Chuk Maaf. —Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

The roadblocks for a return to play proved too high and wide, however. —Dan Arritt, Oc Register, 9 May 2025

The Colorado Voting Rights Act, a state-level imprint of decades-old federal protections against discriminatory voting roadblocks, cleared the Capitol. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 9 May 2025

Protests, demonstrations, tire burnings, and roadblocks are frequent, unpredictable, and can turn violent. —Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 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