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

Effective means of addressing team roadblocks and breaking decision times will allow teams to foster pace. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

But the past two years have proven to be challenging for the mayor, with some events creating potential roadblocks in his path to a third term. —Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025

Limited finances and stringent rules around the federal funding have also created roadblocks in selecting a location, council member Barber said. —Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2025

But that theory would also face significant constitutional roadblocks, said White, the law professor at George Mason who is also a member of the conservative Federalist Society. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 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