Obstruct

Definition: Obstruct

Obstruct

Verb

1. Hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of; "His brother blocked him at every turn".

2. Block passage through; "obstruct the path".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "obstruct" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1509. (references)

Note: Obstruct \Ob*struct"\, transitive verb. [imperative past participle Obstructed; present participle verb or noun Obstructing.]. (references)

Synonyms: Obstruct

Closure

Verb: close, occlude, plug; block up, stop up, fill up, bung up, cork up, button up, stuff up, shut up, dam up; blockade, obstruct;

Hindrance

Obstruct, stop, stay, bar, bolt, lock; block, block up; choke off; belay, barricade; block the way, bar the way, stop the way; forelay; dam up; (close); put on the brake; Noun: scotch the wheel, lock the wheel, put a spoke in the wheel; put a stop to; traverse, contravene; interrupt, intercept; oppose; hedge in, hedge round; cut off; inerclude.

River

Stanch; dam, up. (close); obstruct .

Crosswords: Obstruct

Music

• Obstruct Doors Cause Delay & B (reference)

• Obstruct The Doors Cause Delay & Be Dangerous (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

James River, Va. Schooners sunk to obstruct passage. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

First to obstruct the lane, and then to complete its work of rust

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

Objects placed in the mouth can be broken and obstruct the child's airway. (references)

Nerve cells that survive the injury often must regrow axons, despite tissue changes such as cavity formation that obstruct growth. (references)

It can be triggered by medications, urinary tract infections, mental impairment, restricted mobility, and stool impaction (severe constipation), which can push against the urinary tract and obstruct outflow. (references)

Business

The fact that where he has left his car may obstruct a bus, a trash-collection truck or even worse, an ambulance or the fire brigade, is not something he is willing to get upset about. (references)

Civil Liberties

Bosnia and Herzegovina

RS authorities continued to obstruct attempts to rebuild many of the 83 mosques in the RS that were destroyed during the 1992-1995 war. (references)

Yemen

In general the Government does not obstruct domestic travel, although the army and security forces maintain checkpoints on major roads. (references)

Croatia

As a result, this had the effect of reinforcing the legal precedence of temporary occupants over that of property owners, and it provided an easy means for hard-line officials to obstruct the process of minority returns. (references)

Economic History

Chad

Judicial authorities are widely assumed to be subject to influence and legal clerks often obstruct procedures in order to elicit bribes. (references)

Yemen

Illicit activities range from soliciting and paying bribes to facilitate or obstruct projects, to leveraging dispute settlements, skewing taxation and customs tariff augmentations, and family or tribal nepotism. (references)

Togo

Although the government did not obstruct the functioning of political opponents openly, the President used the strength of the military and his government allies to intimidate and harass citizens and opposition groups. (references)

Human Rights

Belarus

The Administrative Offenses Code provides penalties for those who obstruct KGB officers. (references)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Government officials and nationalist elements in the past have exerted political pressure to obstruct investigations by law enforcement agencies. (references)

Ukraine

However, the law provides no penalties for those who obstruct the Ombudsman's investigations, nor does it create sufficient enforcement authority for the Ombudsman. (references)

Indigenous People

Indonesia

Security forces did not obstruct political activities related to the Papuan Special Autonomy Law; however, they did sporadically enforce a no-tolerance policy on flying the Papuan flag, until the Special Autonomy Bill passed Parliament, after which time security forces allowed the flying of the flag. (references)

Political Economy

Sudan

The Government continued to obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance. (references)

Sudan

During the year, government forces continued to obstruct humanitarian assistance. (references)

Women

Ethiopia

Social practices obstruct investigations into rape and the prosecution of the rapist, and many women are not aware of their rights under the law. (references)

Worker Rights

Malaysia

In February 2000, the Minister for Human Resources stated that employers should not obstruct the formation of in-house unions. (references)

Colombia

Collective pacts--agreements between individual workers and their employers--are not subject to collective bargaining and typically are used by employers to obstruct labor organization. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "obstruct": obstruct the traffic ♦ obstruct the view. Additional references.

Afrikaans

afsper (bar), afsluit (accomodate, bar, end, fence, fence off, finish, lock, strike, strike a balance, terminate). (various references)

Albanian

pengoj (arrest, baffle, balk, baulk, block, clog, cross, cumber, delay, detain, embarrass, encumber, estop, foil, forbid, frustrate, get in the way, hamper, handicap, hedge in, hinder, hobble, impede, inhibit, interfere, interfere with, interrupt, jam, keep away from, let, occlude, oppose, preclude, prevent, prohibit, resist, set back, shut in, stumble, trammel, traverse, trouble), mbyll rrugën (block), bllokoj (block, blockade, clog, close up, freeze, immobilize, jam, lay up, lock, occlude, stop, tie up). (various references)

Arabic 

‏منع (averting, ban, banning, bar, barring, block, debar, deny, deprive, deter, estop, exclude, forbade, forbid, forbiddance, forbidding, foreclose, hinder, hindering, hold back, immunize, inhibit, interdict, interdiction, keep from, obstruction, obviation, preclude, prevent, preventing, prevention, prohibit, prohibition, proscription, restrain from, stop, taboo, veto, ward off, withhold), ‏مارس الإعاقة, ‏قفل (block out, close, confine, enclose, fastener, inclose, latch, lock, padlock, pen, plug, shut, shut down, shut out, shutter, turn off), ‏حجبه عن النظر, ‏عطل لاعب, ‏عطل (cancel, cripple, damage, deactivate, derange, disrupt, foul up, hold up, jam, stay, suspend), ‏عرقل (hamper, mire, obstacle, ravel, tie up), ‏إعترض (bar, blockade, challenge, cross, demur, except, expostulate, impugn, intercept, interpose, interrupt, intervene, object, object to, oppose, protest, remonstrate, stop, take exception to, traverse), ‏أوقف (arrest, arrested, break, can, cease, challenge, check, choke, cut, cut out, discontinue, estop, garage, halt, hinder, intercept, kill, nick, nobble, pull in, shut off, stand, stay, stem, stop, turn off), ‏أعاق حركة المرور, ‏أعاق (baulk, clog, disserve, fix, hamper, obstacle, traverse), ‏أخفى (cloak, conceal, cover up, harbor, harbour, hid, hill, hush, keep, obscure, palm, receive, secrete, shelter, smother, stash, stow, suppress, wrap). (various references)

Bulgarian 

закривам (abolish, adjourn, cap, case, close down, cover, hide, intercept, liquidate, obscure, shield, shroud, shut down, shut out), заглушавам (black out, deaden, deafen, drown, dull, intercept, jam, jam out, kill, overgrow, silence), запушвам (bung, close, obturate, occlude, plug, plug up, stop, stop up, stopper, stopple, stuff, wad, wall up), запречвам, задръствам (block, foul, jam, jam up, occlude, silt), преча на движението на, преча на (cross, fetter, handicap, impede, incommode, intercept, negative, prevent, retard, shackle, trammel, weigh against), преграждам (bar, beset, fence off, hedge off, intercept, interdict, interrupt, occlude, partition off, rail, screen, stem), препятствувам, препречвам (interpose, stop), правя обструкция. (various references)

Chinese 

閉 (shut, stop up, to close), 阻碍 (Hampered, Hampering, Hamstringing, Hamstrung, Obstructed, Obstructing, Obstruction, Obstructive, Obtrusive, Obtrusively, stunted, stunting), 阻橈 (thwart), 閡 , �' (stop up), 當 (adequate, at or in the very same..., during, equal, fitting, just at, manage, match equally, on the spot, ought, proper, replace, represent, right, same, should, suitable, to act as, to be, to pawn, when, withstand), 掣 (draw, hinder, pull), �"� (a cover, arrange, cover, hinder, keep off, put in order, resist, to block, to get in the way of), 壅 (stop up), 妨礙 (hinder). (various references)

Czech

zdržovat (buttonhole, distract, hinder, hold off, impede, restrain), zatarasit (bar, block, foul, jam), zahradit (shut out, stop), zabraòovat, bránit (cumber, defend, hinder, impede, keep, stymie, trammel). (various references)

Danish

vanskeliggøre forhandlingernes videre forløb (to threaten to obstruct the business of the House), hindre udsigten (to obstruct the view, to take away the view), den sammenkrollede del af foringen,kaldet guleroden,er et uoensket resultat af jet perforeringen,da den kan blokere perforeringshullerne og standse tilstroemningen (called the carrot, is an undesirable feature of jet perforating as it may sometimes lodge in the perforation and obstruct flow, the crumpled portion of the liner), at hindre koelemiddelstroemning (to obstruct the coolant flow), anvendelsen af disse bestemmelser hindrer ikke opfyldelsen af de opgaver (the application of such rules does not obstruct the performance of the tasks). (various references)

Dutch

belemmeren (bar, bother, disturb, hamper, hinder, impede, inhibit, oppose, prevent, stand in the way of, trouble), afsluiten (accomodate, bar, end, fence off, finish, lock, make a contract, strike a balance, terminate), afdammen (bar, dam up, form an embankment). (various references)

Esperanto

obstrukci (hamper, hinder, impede, stand in the way of), bari (bar). (various references)

Faeroese

tippa (block, clog, hamper, hinder, impede, plug up, stand in the way of, stop up), tarna (hamper, hinder, impede, stand in the way of), tálma (hamper, hinder, impede, stand in the way of), steingja (bar, bolt, fasten), forða (bar), draga út (hamper, hinder, impede, stand in the way of). (various references)

Farsi 

مسدودکردن (Bar, Bloc, Block, Calk, Choke, Clog, Close, Jam, Obturate, Preclude, Scotch), مانع شدن (Ail, Debar, Exclude, Hamper, Hinder, Holdup, Impede, Inhibit, Obturate, Prevent, Rein, Resist, Revoke, Stop, Stymie, Suppress), جلوچیزی راگرفتن , ایجادمانع کردن , اشکالتراشی کردن . (various references)

Finnish

tukkia (block, plug, shut, stop, stop up), sulkea (bar, block, close, shut, shut up), jarruttaa (apply the brake, brake, put on the brake), ehkäistä (check, hamper, hinder, impede, prevent, restrain). (various references)

French

engorger. (various references)

Frisian

ôfslute (bar). (various references)

German

versperren (bar, block, block up, close, interrupt, jam up, obstruction, shut out, to obstruct), sperren (ban, bar, barricade, block, blockade, close, close off, cut off, disconnect, freeze, halt, inhibit, jam, lock, obstruction, shut off, space out, stick, stop, to inhibit, to interlock), hemmen (check, choke, clam, clog, delay, frustrate, hamper, hinder, inhibit, limit, restrain, slow down, staunch, stem, stop, stunt, to inhibit, trig), blockieren (block, block up, blockade, dam, halt, inhibit, jam, lock, to blockade, to inhibit). (various references)

Greek 

κωλυσιεργώ (hinder, sabotage), παρακωλύω (get in the way, hinder, hold up, impede, preclude), εμποδίζω (bar, block, clog, cross, cumber, deter, embarrass, encumber, hamper, handicap, hinder, impede, keep from, preclude, prevent, stunt, stymie, thwart, trammel, trig). (various references)

Hebrew 

לשים מכשול (balk, baulk, hamper), לאטום (close, seal, shut), לחסום (bar, block, close, jam, occlude, prevent, restrain, shut, shut out, stem). (various references)

Hungarian

gátol (hold, to arrest, to baulk, to block, to clog, to clog up, to detain, to discourage, to embarrass, to hamper, to impede, to inhibit, to obstruct, to retard, to traverse, trammel), elzár (close, cut off, dam, debar, lock up, mew, obturate, occlude, seclude, shut in, shut off, shut up, switch off, to block, to bung, to bung up, to caulk, to choke up, to clog, to confine, to debar, to immure, to list, to mew, to obliterate, to obturate, to occlude, to seclude, to shut away, to shut in, to shut off, to shut out, to strangulate, to turn off, turn off), akadályoz (antagonize, bar, baulk, counterwork, cumber, encumber, hamper, hold, impede, interfere, prevent, to clog, to clog up, to cramp, to detain, to discourage, to embarrass, to encumber, to hamper, to hold up, to impede, to incapacitate, to inhibit, to keep from, to put back, to put off, to set back, to thwart, to tie, to traverse, trammel). (various references)

Indonesian

merintangi (debar, embarrass, encumber, hamper, hinder, impede, incommode), menghambat (hamper, hinder, impede), menghalangi (block, counteract, deter, thwart), memblok, blok (bloc, block). (various references)

Italian

sbarrare (bar, block, cross, open wide, strike out), ostruire (become obstructed, block, clog, close, closure, congest, engorge, occlude, stop). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

遮る (to intercept, to interrupt, to obstruct). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

さえぎる (to intercept, to interrupt, to obstruct), みち�'はばむ (to obstruct one's way), はばむ (to check, to hinder, to keep someone from doing, to obstruct, to oppose, to prevent, to stop, to thwart). (various references)

Korean 

� �지하십시�". (various references)

Manx

lhiettal (clog, counteract, discourage, hinder, impede, inhibit, intercept, prevent, prevention, restrain, restrict, stop down, veto), cur bac er (counteract, disable, disqualify, hinderance). (various references)

Maya

tzuuy (to obstruct). (various references)

Pig Latin

obstructay.(various references)

Portuguese

tapar (choke, clog, close, obturate, occlude, plug, plug up, shut, stop up, stopper, stopple, stuff). (various references)

Romanian

face obstrucţie, face dificil, bloca (bar, block, blockade, close, confine, jam, lock, occlude, skid, stop), astupa (bar, block, bung, clog, close, fill, occlude, plug, stop, stopper), îngreuia (aggravate, burden, encumber, load, trouble, weight), înfunda (clog, head, pad, shove, stick, stuff), împiedica dezvoltarea, împiedica (arrest, back, balk, baulk, block, brake, check, circumvent, clog, delay, detain, deter, embarrass, encumber, forbid, foreclose, hamper, help, hinder, hitch, hobble, hold, hopple, impede, inhibit, intercept, lock, prevent, put on the brakes, restrain, shackle, shut out, snag, stay, stop, trammel, withhold). (various references)

Russian 

устраивать обструкцию, мешать (be in the road, be in the way, come between, disturb, estop, get in smb.'s road, get in the way, hamper, head off, incommode, interfere, interfered, interfered with, interrupt, mix, oppose, overslaugh, poke, preclude), затруднять (cumber, discommode, embarrass, encumber, hamper, trouble), заграждать. (various references)

Scottish

amail (hinder, hindrance: ad+ mall, mischief, prevent). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

omesti (disrupt, foul up, hinder), zakloniti (cover, guard, occult, screen, shelter, shut in), preprečiti (cumber, get in the way, thwart). (various references)

Spanish

obstruir (bar, barricade, beset, block, block up, choke, clog, foul, hinder, impede, interfere, jam, lumber, occlude, shut up, tie up), cercar (bar, barrier off, beset, besiege, circle, cut off, encircle, enclose, encompass, fence, hedge, hem in, inclose, invest, lap, wall in), bloquear (block, blockade, cut off, lock, secure, stop, stymie, tackle, tie up). (various references)

Swedish

täppa till (choke, choke up, clog, foul, foul up, obturate, occlude), spärra (block up, lock, spread out), hindra (balk, bar, baulk, clog, constrain, contain, cramp, cross, cumber, curb, detain, embarrass, encumber, forbid, foreclose, hamper, hamstring, hedge, hinder, impede, inhibit, interfere with, keep back, occlude, preclude, prevent, put back, short circuit, snag, stay, stymie, trammel, traverse). (various references)

Turkish

zorlaştırmak (becloud, complicate, rock), tıkamak (block, block up, bung, bung up, choke, choke up, clog, congest, engorge, foul, foul up, glut, hold, jam, obliterate, obturate, occlude, plug, plug up, seal off, Spike, spile, stop, stop up, stopple, stuff, tampon, wad), kapamak (block, block up, bung up, close, confine, coop, coop in, coop up, cover, cover in, encase, fence in, hang up, obturate, occlude, seal, shut, shut down, shut in, shut out, shut to, shut up, shutter, stop, stop up, top, turn off, turn out, wind up, wipe out), engellenmek, engellemek (balk, bar, baulk, block, circumvent, clamp the lid on smth., clog, counterwork, cramp, Crimp, cross, cumber, dam, dam up, defeat, embarrass, encumber, fetter, foil, gum up, hamper, hedge, hedge about, hedge around, hinder, hobble, impede, inhibit, keep down, keep from, preclude, prevent from, put the lid on smth., resist, restrain, save, shut out, snag, stem, stymie, surety, trammel), engel olmak (baffle, balk, be in smb.'s road, bind, blanket, clip one's wings, debar, encumber, estop, forbid, frustrate, hamper, handicap, hinder, intercept, interfere with, militate against, Nix, oppose, prevent, prohibit, put a spoke in smb.'s wheel, put a stay on, put back, put off, scotch, shackle, thwart). (various references)

Turkmen 

germemek, bцkdemek. (various references)

Ukrainian

створювати перешкоди, стати наперешкоді, утрудняти прохідність, улаштовувати обструкцію, чинити перешкоду, заступати, заслоняти (interrupt, obscure, occult), захаращувати (choke, clutter, encumber, lumber, overcharge), закупорювати (bottle up, bung, occlude, oppilate, plug up, stopper, stopple), заважати (baffle, balk, clog, cut across, embar, embarrass, empeach, hinder, impeach, incommode, interfere, obscure, preclude, prohibit), блокувати (block, block up, blockade, cordon, seal, stop, waylay), перешкоджати просуванню, перепиняти (beset). (various references)

Welsh

rhwystro (block, hinder, prevent), afrwyddo (hinder). (various references)

impedio, impedo, inpediantur, inpediaris, inpedias, inpediat, inpediatur, inpediebar, inpediret, inpedit, inpeditus, inpedivit, interpellabant, interpellandum, interpellantes, interpellaret, interpellat, interpellaverint, interpellavit, interpellet, occursantibus, retardo. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "obstruct": obstructed, obstructing, obstruction, obstructionism, obstructionisms, obstructionist, obstructionistic, obstructionists, obstructions, obstructive, obstructively, obstructiveness, obstructivenesses, obstructives, obstructor, obstructors, obstructs. (additional references)

Words containing "obstruct": unobstructed. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Obstruct" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: ubstruct. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: turbots.

-2 letters: courts, robust, trouts, turbos, turbot, tutors.

-3 letters: borts, botts, bouts, burst, butts, court, crust, curbs, curst, roust, routs, scour, scout, scrub, stour, stout, strut, sturt, torcs, torts, torus, tours, touts, trots, trout, trust, turbo, tutor.

-4 letters: bort, bots, bott, bout, bros, brut, burs, bust, buts, butt, cobs, cors, cost, cots, crus, cubs.

+1 letter: obstructs.

+2 letters: obstructed, obstructor.

+3 letters: contributes, obstructing, obstruction, obstructive, obstructors, subcontract, subtraction.

+4 letters: butterscotch, carburettors, contributors, counterblast, obscurantist, obstructions, obstructives, subcontracts, subtractions, unobstructed.

+5 letters: antiscorbutic, constructible, contributions, counterblasts, obscurantists, obstructively, subcontracted, subcontractor.