stumbling block

noun

ˈstəm-bliŋ- How to pronounce stumbling block (audio)
Definition of stumbling blocknext
as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult the only stumbling block to our move across the country was finding someone to adopt our cats

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stumbling block Given that the Touch Bar is no more, this stumbling block was never satisfactorily overcome. — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Some believe that amending the bill to include Iran, which has been embroiled in a war with the United States since February, could add a stumbling block to the bill’s path forward to a vote in the House of Representatives. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 31 July 2026 The alternative is asking the majority to accept the inconvenience of having gambling cordoned off from daily life in order to avoid putting a stumbling block in front of their neighbors. — Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 17 July 2026 But the process has been riddled with stumbling blocks – including persistent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which threatened to derail US-Iran talks last week. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for stumbling block
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling block
  1. obstacle
  2. hurdle
  3. obstruction
  4. embarrassment
Noun
  • Both benefit from improved navigation, apparently able to avoid cables and other obstacles as small as 2mm in size, as well as transparent objects like mirrors or glass.
    — Dominic Preston, The Verge, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The 340-pound ball is just soft enough to bounce lightly over bumpy obstacles, but its slight overpressure keeps it relatively firm.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of obstacle
Noun
  • But Oxley, writing in a commentary, cautioned that there are logistical hurdles and said the value of Venezuela’s reserves may have been exaggerated under former President Hugo Chavez.
    — Collin Binkley, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Secondly, insurance and safety inspections remain critical hurdles.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of hurdle
Noun
  • Investigators accused him of obstruction of justice, unlawful contracting and, among other things, claiming $127,630 in expenses linked to fictitious missions and plane tickets for nearly a dozen trips.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The prosecutor, Matthew Evans, was fired on Thursday and is now under investigation for alleged obstruction of a grand jury probe, the person said.
    — Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of obstruction
Noun
  • He’s particularly drawn to episodes that are discomforting for his countrymen—the Dreyfus Affair, and, a recent obsession, French accommodation in Nazi rule during the Occupation, a national embarrassment that was long passed over in silence.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Just the latest embarrassment from the worst president in any of our lifetimes.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of embarrassment

Browse Nearby Words

stumbling
stumbling block
stumbling blocks
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Cite this Entry

“Stumbling block.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling%20block. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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