obstacle B1 Topic:Space, Position & Direction US /ˈɑbstəkəl/ UK /ˈɒbstəkəl/ See IPA manual Freq #9143 Meanings 1 noun Something that makes it difficult to do or achieve something. Lack of money was the biggest obstacle to her plans. 2 noun An object that blocks your way and must be gone around or removed. The runners had to jump over several obstacles. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · something that makes it... barrierhindrancehurdleimpedimentobstruction Word family Forms obstacles Common collocations obstacle race Noun + noun Etymology AI details From Middle English obstacle, from Old French obstacle, from Latin obstāculum. obstacle Middle English obstāculum Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Space, Position & Direction External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # obstacle **Type:** Word **Level:** B1 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈɑbstəkəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈɒbstəkəl/ **Frequency rank:** 9143 ## Meanings 1. Something that makes it difficult to do or achieve something. 2. An object that blocks your way and must be gone around or removed. ## Examples - Lack of money was the biggest obstacle to her plans. - The runners had to jump over several obstacles. ## Roots and Affixes - Root: obstacle - Root: obstāculum ## Etymology From Middle English obstacle, from Old French obstacle, from Latin obstāculum. ## AI Etymology Obstacle comes from Middle English obstacle, from Old French obstacle, from Latin obstāculum. Modern senses include something that makes it difficult to do or achieve something and an object that blocks your way and must be gone around or removed. ## Topics - Space, Position & Direction markdown