stumbling blocks

noun

plural of stumbling block
as in obstacles
something that makes movement or progress difficult the only stumbling block to our move across the country was finding someone to adopt our cats

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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 blocks 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 Since then, the process has stretched to require four different levels of review, each with a list of procedural requirements that pose stumbling blocks for prisoners seeking help. — Christie Thompson, NPR, 17 June 2026 Irving's complicated journey with leadership has been well documented, from his controversial trade request from Cleveland to stumbling blocks in Boston and Brooklyn. — Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 7 Apr. 2026 The stumbling blocks to dialogue are immense. — Obi Anyadike, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026 However, one of the stumbling blocks on this pathway is borate, which is a family of common compounds found in seawater. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026 Cannon’s second and third languages become stumbling blocks for the reader, and visual shortcuts for emotional distance. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025 Overcoming Challenges Rickson’s journey wasn’t without its stumbling blocks. — K.h. Koehler, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025 One of the stumbling blocks—the principal stumbling block—to his doing more with Presley was the boy's manager, Bob Neal, who seemed infuriatingly unsusceptible to persuasion, promotion, or even recognition of his own (let alone his artist's) ever-increasing opportunities. — CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling blocks
  1. obstacles
  2. hurdles
  3. obstructions
  4. barriers
Noun
  • Dad and kid navigate various obstacles and their own family issues in a touching story exploring grief and adulthood.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The design is meant to move around any obstacles, including the free weights collection near your pilates mat, meaning no more sweaty spots in your home gym.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of obstacles
Noun
  • Secondly, insurance and safety inspections remain critical hurdles.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Buyers still have to qualify financially, and coming up with enough cash to cover the seller's equity can be one of the biggest hurdles.
    — Sharon Wu, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of hurdles
Noun
  • The bar also removed landscaping rocks and other potential obstructions to help water drain away from the property.
    — Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • State justice officials also claimed that Menlo Park forced the developers to pay the city attorney’s legal bills in supporting the municipality’s obstructions against the project.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of obstructions
Noun
  • Structural inflation, fueled by government deficits, AI investments, low unemployment rates, growing trade barriers and energy disruptions, is reshaping the landscape for markets, according to Fidelity International.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The legislation was included on the 2025 list of global trade barriers compiled annually by the Office of the US Trade Representative.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of barriers

Browse Nearby Words

stumbling block
stumbling blocks
stumbling (on or onto)
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Cite this Entry

“Stumbling blocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling%20blocks. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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