ob·sta·cle

(ŏb′stə-kəl)

Something that stands in the way of or holds up progress: The road crew removed the obstacle of the fallen tree limb. We had to overcome many obstacles to put on this show.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin obstāculum, from obstāre, to hinder : ob-, against; see ob- + stāre, to stand; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

obstacle

(ˈɒbstəkəl)

1. a person or thing that opposes or hinders something

2. (Horse Training, Riding & Manège) Brit a fence or hedge used in showjumping

[C14: via Old French from Latin obstāculum, from obstāre, from ob- against + stāre to stand]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ob•sta•cle

(ˈɒb stə kəl)

n.

something that obstructs or hinders progress.

[1300–50; Middle English < Old French < Latin obstāculum, derivative of obstā(re) to face, block]

obstacle

Any obstruction designed or employed to disrupt, fix, turn, or block the movement of an opposing force, and to impose additional losses in personnel, time, and equipment on the opposing force. Obstacles can be natural, manmade, or a combination of both.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	obstacle - something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan" obstruction deterrent, hinderance, hindrance, impediment, balk, baulk, handicap, check - something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress roadblock, barrier - any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objective; "intolerance is a barrier to understanding" rub, hang-up, hitch, snag - an unforeseen obstacle hurdle - an obstacle that you are expected to overcome; "the last hurdle before graduation" stymie, stymy - a thwarting and distressing situation
	2.	obstacle - an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented) hazard - an obstacle on a golf course impedimenta, obstruction, obstructor, obstructer, impediment - any structure that makes progress difficult stumbling block - any obstacle or impediment water jump - a pool or stream in a steeplechase or similar contest

obstacle

noun

1. obstruction, block, barrier, hurdle, hazard, snag, impediment, blockage, hindrance She had to navigate her way round trolleys and other obstacles.

2. hindrance, check, bar, block, difficulty, barrier, handicap, hurdle, hitch, drawback, snag, deterrent, uphill (S. African), obstruction, stumbling block, impediment Overcrowding remains a large obstacle to improving conditions.
hindrance help, support, benefit, aid, advantage, asset, assistance, crutch

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

obstacle

noun

Something that impedes or prevents entry or passage:

bar, barricade, barrier, block, blockage, clog, hamper, hindrance, hurdle, impediment, obstruction, snag, stop, traverse, wall.

Translations

عُقبَةٌعَقَبَه، عائِق

překážka

forhindring

este

prepreka

akadály

hindrun

ostacolo

障害物

장애물

kliūčių ruožas

šķērslis

ovira

hinder

อุปสรรค

engel

sự trở ngại

障碍

obstacle

[ˈɒbstəkl]

A. N → obstáculo m; (= hindrance) → estorbo m, impedimento m
one of the obstacles is money → uno de los obstáculos or impedimentos es el dinero
to be an obstacle to sth/sb → ser un obstáculo para algo/algn
to put an obstacle in the way of sth/sb → crear dificultades or poner obstáculos a algo/algn
that is no obstacle to our doing it → eso no impide que lo hagamos
obstacles to independence → los factores que dificultan la independencia

B. CPD obstacle course N → pista f de obstáculos
obstacle race N (Sport) → carrera f de obstáculos

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

obstacle

[ˈɒbstək^əl] n

(physical) → obstacle m

(= problem) → obstacle m
to overcome an obstacle → surmonter un obstacle
an obstacle to sth → un obstacle à qch
an obstacle to doing sth → un obstacle à qch
the main obstacle to ending the conflict → le principal obstacle à la fin du conflit
Colour should be no obstacle to getting a job → La couleur ne devrait pas être un obstacle à l'obtention d'un travail.
Overcrowding is an obstacle to improving conditions → La surpopulation est un obstacle à l'amélioration des conditions.obstacle course n

(physical) → parcours m du combattant

(= series of problems) → parcours m du combattant
Every day is an obstacle course at present → Chaque jour est un parcours du combattant en ce moment.obstacle race n → course f d'obstacles

obstacle

n (lit, fig) → Hindernis nt; to be an obstacle to somebody/something → jdm/einer Sache im Weg(e) stehen, jdn/etw (be)hindern; if they put any obstacle in the way of our plans → wenn man uns Steine in den Weg legt or unsere Pläne behindert; that’s no obstacle to our doing it → das wird uns nicht daran hindern; all the obstacles to progress/peace etc → alles, was den Fortschritt/Frieden etc behindert

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

obstacle

[ˈɒbstəkl] n → ostacolo
to be an obstacle to sb/sth → essere di ostacolo a qn/qc
to put an obstacle in the way of sb → ostacolare qn
that is no obstacle to our doing it → questo non ci impedisce affatto di farlo

obstacle

(ˈobstəkl) noun

something which prevents progress. His inability to learn foreign languages was an obstacle to his career.

obstacle race

a race in which runners have to climb over, crawl through etc obstacles such as tyres, nets etc.

obstacle

→ عُقبَةٌ překážka forhindring Hindernis κώλυμα obstáculo este obstacle prepreka ostacolo 障害物 장애물 obstakel hindring przeszkoda obstáculo препятствие hinder อุปสรรค engel sự trở ngại 障碍

obstacle

n. obstáculo,

pop. traba.