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obstruction noun

Click to hear the UK pronunciation of this wordClick to hear the US pronunciation of this word/əbˈstrʌk.ʃən/ n

Definition

[C or U] something that blocks a road, passage, entrance, etc. so that nothing can go along it, or the act of blocking something in this way
There's some sort of obstruction on the railway tracks.
[U] behaviour or actions that prevent something from happening or working correctly
They were charged with obstruction of the police/of justice (= preventing the police/law courts from doing their jobs).
[U] in sport, when one player gets in the way of another and so prevents them from moving freely
The referee said it was obstruction.

(Definition of obstruction noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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