as in hurdle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
stumbling on all the obstacles along the path
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obstacle
The biggest obstacle to health care access in District 106 is costs.
—
Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
Her recovery was complicated by the routine obstacles that govern all aspects of life at Dilley.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Roughly 100 people work at the northeast Wisconsin and Milwaukee locations each year, building sobriety and stable employment records free of the many obstacles found in typical workplaces.
—Miranda Dunlap, jsonline.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Over the last year, Sheinbaum Pardo has faced perilous political obstacles in her country's relationship with its powerful northern neighbor.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obstacle
Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
Her recovery was complicated by the routine obstacles that govern all aspects of life at Dilley.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Roughly 100 people work at the northeast Wisconsin and Milwaukee locations each year, building sobriety and stable employment records free of the many obstacles found in typical workplaces.
—Miranda Dunlap, jsonline.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Over the last year, Sheinbaum Pardo has faced perilous political obstacles in her country's relationship with its powerful northern neighbor.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obstacle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obstacle
Noun
-
Stier / Getty Images Earlier today in the men’s figure skating final, fellow American Maxim Naumov had to skate through a different kind of mental hurdle.—
The Sports Desk,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
-
In 2026, residents of Mathews, Mint Hill and Pineville face several specific barriers to health care access ranging from escalating costs to significant geographic and logistical hurdles.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Guevara and two colleagues, then-detectives Michael Mason and Ernest Halvorson, then orchestrated a frame-up by coercing one witness to identify Rios by beating him with a phone book and flashlight, and another by threatening to charge him with obstruction, according to the plaintiffs’ allegations.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
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Prosecutors say a civilian and a military reservist have been indicted for bribery and obstruction of justice, with an undisclosed number of others also arrested for placing Polymarket wagers based on classified information, according to a statement released Thursday by officials in Tel Aviv.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Well, there was a great deal left in me, in an agony of embarrassment looking around for that hole on the floor to crawl into.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
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But anomaly detection may have prevented embarrassments like the one at OPERA.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In Japan, tourists flocking to a small town at the base of Mount Fuji to re-create a viral photo caused so many issues that the local government temporarily resorted to erecting a black fabric barrier to block the famous view.—
Trista Kurniawan,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Smith pointed to economic barriers, limited disposable income among buyers and the difficulty of maintaining gallery spaces.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obstacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obstacle. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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