obstruct

verb

1 wheelchairs obstructed the aisles | ensure that air bricks and vents are not obstructed:

block, block up, clog, clog up, get/stand in the way of, cut off, shut off, jam, bung up, gum up, choke, barricade, bar, dam up;

British, informal gunge up;

dated cumber;

technical occlude, obturate.

▷antonyms clear.

2 police took him into custody on a charge of obstructing the traffic:

hold up, bring to a standstill, stop, halt, block.

3 environmentalists accused the government of obstructing the passage of the EC pollution laws:

impede, hinder, interfere with, hamper, block, interrupt, hold up, hold back, stand in the way of, frustrate, thwart, balk, inhibit, hamstring, sabotage, encumber, slow, slow down, retard, delay, stonewall, forestall, stall, arrest, check, stop, halt, stay, derail, restrict, limit, curb, put a brake on, bridle, fetter, shackle;

informal stymie;

North American, informal bork;

rare trammel.

▷antonyms facilitate, help, further.

choose the right word	obstruct, hinder, hamper, impede
See hinder.

obstruct Oxford Dictionary of English