obstruct

/əbˈstrʌkt/

to block or hinder movement or progress

The fallen tree obstructed the road, causing a traffic jam.

The tree blocked the road, making it impossible for vehicles to pass.

general

to block or get in the way of something, making it difficult or impossible to proceed

The protesters obstructed the entrance to the building.

The protesters blocked the entrance, preventing people from entering.

His stubborn attitude obstructs any attempt at compromise.

His unwillingness to change makes it hard to reach an agreement.

Can be used both physically (blocking a path) and metaphorically (hindering progress).

Collocations

obstruct trafficblock the flow of vehiclesobstruct justiceprevent the fair administration of lawobstruct progresshinder development or advancement

to block someone's line of sight

to block a way or route

In formal contexts, 'obstruct' is often used in legal or official settings, while in everyday speech, 'block' or 'hinder' may be more common.

In legal contexts, 'obstruct' can refer to actions that interfere with justice, such as obstructing an investigation or obstructing justice.

From Latin 'obstructus', past participle of 'obstruere' (to build against, block), from 'ob-' (against) + 'struere' (to build).

Often used in legal contexts to describe actions that interfere with justice or official proceedings.

ob-

against

prefix

-struct

to build

root

English Dictionary