1
as in impeding
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
this would go much faster if you would stop obstructing me with your constant interruptions
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blocking
to prevent passage through by filling with something
at the moment the city's only tunnel between downtown and the airport is obstructed by an overturned tanker truck
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obstructing
Intentionally obstructing the roadway, especially while impeding emergency access, is a misdemeanor in Minnesota, as is being a public nuisance by blocking the right-of-way.
—
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 13 Feb. 2026
Brad Lander is headed to trial on May 11, accused of obstructing the use of a foyer at 26 Federal Plaza at a protest over conditions in hidden holding cells where migrants are detained, a judge ruled Thursday.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
The person appears to first try obstructing the lens with their gloved hand.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
This, along with the 911 calls, led to his arrest for allegedly obstructing police.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
The injured officer was taken to a local hospital, and three male juveniles from East Aurora High School were charged with improper walking in the roadway, obstructing and resisting a peace officer, the Facebook post from the police department said.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Plus, these shades allow for privacy without totally obstructing natural light.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
Indeed, some emergency routes have huge mountains of snowy ice chunks obstructing more than one lane of the road because the snowplows could not move the snow to the side of the road due to all of the bike lane obstacles .
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026
Last month, a federal appeals court suspended a decision that prohibited federal officers from using tear gas or pepper spray against peaceful protesters in Minnesota who aren't obstructing law enforcement.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 13 Feb. 2026
Brad Lander is headed to trial on May 11, accused of obstructing the use of a foyer at 26 Federal Plaza at a protest over conditions in hidden holding cells where migrants are detained, a judge ruled Thursday.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
The person appears to first try obstructing the lens with their gloved hand.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
This, along with the 911 calls, led to his arrest for allegedly obstructing police.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
The injured officer was taken to a local hospital, and three male juveniles from East Aurora High School were charged with improper walking in the roadway, obstructing and resisting a peace officer, the Facebook post from the police department said.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Plus, these shades allow for privacy without totally obstructing natural light.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
Indeed, some emergency routes have huge mountains of snowy ice chunks obstructing more than one lane of the road because the snowplows could not move the snow to the side of the road due to all of the bike lane obstacles .
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026
Last month, a federal appeals court suspended a decision that prohibited federal officers from using tear gas or pepper spray against peaceful protesters in Minnesota who aren't obstructing law enforcement.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obstructing
Verb
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Homan says in the past month, 158 people have been arrested for impeding or assaulting federal officers, with 85 cases already accepted for prosecution.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Federal prosecutors secured an indictment against Laryen Torres-Carmona in September, charging the 26-year-old with two counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Millions of dollars in federal funds were set to flow once again to the Hudson River Tunnel Thursday night, after a federal court order blocking the bucks expired.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
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While the popularity of these app-blocking devices increases (Novelli said the company has sold more than 60,000), questions remain about their efficacy when the people who buy them are mainly discovering the devices through the internet—and talking about them on social media.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The move comes as the container shipping industry at large is reeling from declines in freight rates over the past year, hampering the bottom lines of many carriers.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Feb. 2026
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The outages have affected Anastasia’s work, hampering her ability to respond to clients via messaging apps.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The instigators were allowed to go beyond peaceful protests to hindering law enforcement from doing their job which escalated with the result of two people tragically losing their lives.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
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Anyone raising these concerns last season, when Arsenal finished in a distant second place, would be politely informed that the only curb on their creativity was the injuries that were hindering Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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One day, Will goes viral after embarrassing ROAR league MVP, Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), during a streetball challenge, prompting his favorite team, the Vineland Thorns, to sign him to a season-ending contract in a desperate attempt to juice ticket sales.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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And then Thaddeus’s arm falls off, embarrassing his companions.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obstructing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obstructing. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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