Dictionary Definition
roadblock
Noun
1 any condition that makes it difficult to make
progress or to achieve an objective; "intolerance is a barrier to
understanding" [syn: barrier]
2 a barrier set up by police to stop traffic on a
street or road in order to catch a fugitive or inspect traffic etc.
[syn: barricade]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
From road + block.Noun
- Something that blocks or obstructs a road.
- An obstacle or impediment.
Translations
Something that blocks or obstructs a road
- Dutch: wegversperring , wegblokkade
- Esperanto: baraĵo, barilo
- Finnish: tiesulku, este
An obstacle or impediment
- Dutch: versperring , obstakel , tegenwerkende factor
- Finnish: este, hidaste
Translations
to prevent, hinder
- Finnish: estää
Extensive Definition
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to
control or block traffic
along a road. The reasons
for one could be:
- Roadworks
- Temporary road closure during special events
- Police chase
- Robbery
In peaceful circumstances, they are usually
instantiated by the police, or road transport
authorities; they are also commonly employed during wars and are usually staffed by
heavily armed soldiers in that case. During protests and riots, both police and
demonstrators sometimes use roadblocks.
See also
roadblock in German: Absperrung
(Straßenverkehr)
roadblock in Malay (macrolanguage): Sekatan
jalan raya
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
arch dam, backstop, bamboo curtain,
bank, bar, barrage, barricade, barrier, bear-trap dam, beaver
dam, blank wall, block,
blockade, boom, breakwater, breastwork, brick wall,
buffer, bulkhead, bulwark, cofferdam, dam, defense, dike, ditch, earthwork, embankment, fence, gate, gravity dam, groin, hydraulic-fill dam, iron
curtain, jam, jetty, leaping weir, levee, logjam, milldam, moat, mole, mound, parapet, portcullis, rampart, rock-fill dam, seawall, shutter dam, stone
wall, stop, wall, weir, wicket dam, work