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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
obstruct
verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
investigation
▪ He was convicted of obstructing Congress' investigation of the affair and destroying documents.
▪ Mirretti had pleaded guilty to fraud, bribery, theft and conspiracy to obstruct a criminal investigation.
police
▪ It is an offence to obstruct the police in their efforts to search for evidence of a drug offence.
▪ Wilkins also pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer in the execution of his duty, and Parratt to obstructing the police.
▪ Failure to comply with that instruction might give rise to a charge of obstructing the police in addition to that of obstructing the highway.
▪ Parratt was fined £75 for obstructing the police.
▪ His actions in doing so in fact obstructed the police.
▪ Unbelievably, they were later fined for, respectively, wilful damage and assault, and obstructing the police.
▪ They charged Dad with obstructing the police, and claimed that all our injuries had been sustained in the struggle.
view
▪ The carport and Land-Rover obstructed Trent's view of the windows.
▪ His windows were rolled down, so there was nothing to obstruct my direct view of this scene.
▪ He put his head as near the bars as he could so that they did not obstruct his view.
▪ Unfortunately, a row of lockers lined the wall Separating the gym from the locker room, obstructing the view.
▪ Baldwin then sprays the shaving cream on the window and smears it to obstruct any view of his home.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ A small aircraft now obstructed the runway.
▪ A wall of people in front of me were obstructing my view.
▪ It is an offence to obstruct the police during the course of their duty.
▪ Officials are hoping that none of these issues will obstruct progress in the peace talks.
▪ Robbins was accused of obstructing the investigation.
▪ The driveway was obstructed by piles of stones and gravel.
▪ The House of Lords has been accused of obstructing change and preventing scientific progress.
▪ The truck was on its side, obstructing two lanes of traffic.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Baldwin then sprays the shaving cream on the window and smears it to obstruct any view of his home.
▪ He drank coffee and brandy, then dived in for another assault, feeling as if the databanks were deliberately obstructing him.
▪ In fact I cause a car accident by obstructing some one's driveway.
▪ Out in the street he stood for a while, obstructing the pavement.
▪ The carport and Land-Rover obstructed Trent's view of the windows.
▪ This keeps sawdust out of the way without obstructing the line of cut.
▪ Views of the bay are obstructed.
▪ Violence, insults, and superheated propaganda obstruct this end.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Obstruct

Obstruct \Ob*struct"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obstructed; p. pr. & vb. n. Obstructing.] [L. obstructus, p. p. of obstruere to build up before or against, to obstruct; ob (see Ob-) + struere to pile up. See Structure.]

  1. To block up; to stop up or close, as a way or passage; to place an obstacle in, or fill with obstacles or impediments that prevent or hinder passing; as, to obstruct a street; to obstruct the channels of the body.

    'T is the obstructed paths of sound shall clear.
    --Pope.

  2. To be, or come, in the way of; to hinder from passing; to stop; to impede; to retard; as, the bar in the harbor obstructs the passage of ships; clouds obstruct the light of the sun; unwise rules obstruct legislation. ``Th' impatience of obstructed love.''
    --Johnson.

    Syn: To bar; barricade; stop; arrest; check; interrupt; clog; choke; impede; retard; embarrass; oppose.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
obstruct

1610s, a back-formation from obstruction or else from Latin obstructus, past participle of obstruere "to block, to stop up" (see obstruction). Related: Obstructed; obstructing.

Wiktionary
obstruct

vb. 1 To block or fill (a passage) with obstacles or an obstacle. See Synonyms at block. 2 (senseid en To impede, retard, or interfere with)To impede, retard, or interfere with; hinder: ''obstructed my progress.'' 3 To get in the way of so as to hide from sight.

WordNet
obstruct
  1. v. hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of; "His brother blocked him at every turn" [syn: blockade, block, hinder, stymie, stymy, embarrass]

  2. block passage through; "obstruct the path" [syn: obturate, impede, occlude, jam, block, close up] [ant: free]

  3. shut out from view or get in the way so as to hide from sight; "The thick curtain blocked the action on the stage"; "The trees obstruct my view of the mountains" [syn: block]

Wikipedia

Usage examples of "obstruct".

For my part, I shall take all immaginable care that the Fathers who preach the Holy Gospell to those Indians over whom I have power bee not in the least ill treated, and upon that very accompt have sent for one of each nation to come to me, and then those beastly crimes you reproove shall be checked severely, and all my endevours used to surpress their filthy drunkennesse, disorders, debauches, warring, and quarrels, and whatsoever doth obstruct the growth and enlargement of the Christian faith amongst those people.

The causes of barrenness may be obliteration of the canal of the neck of the womb, sealing up of its mouth, or inflammation resulting in adhesion of the walls of the vagina, thus obstructing the passage to the uterus.

The only thing that could have saved him was some last-minute exculpatory evidence like proof that he was merely trying to obstruct justice after being caught with a chubby intern performing oral sex on him in his office.

In the absence of all apparent influences calculated to obstruct the menses, the presumption ordinarily is that pregnancy is the cause of their non-appearance.

Experiments upon living animals have proved that absorption of poisonous substances occurs, even when all communication by way of the lacteals and lymphatics is obstructed, the passage by the blood-vessels alone remaining.

Lying on the back is injurious, since by so doing the spine becomes heated, especially if the person sleeps on feathers, the circulation is obstructed and local congestions are encouraged.

Unless these excretions are removed, the glands become obstructed, their functions are arrested, and unpleasant odors arise.

In a limited number of cases supposed to be chronic nasal catarrh, we have found upon examination that one or both nasal cavities were more or less obliterated and obstructed by the deformed and thickened septum.

It may be induced by exposure to cold, in consequence of which the circulation is impeded, the pores of the skin obstructed, and all of the vitiated matters having to be expelled through the liver, stomach, and intestines.

All the streets are obstructed with building material, and this is being compacted into houses as fast as possible, to make room for more--for other people are anxious to build, as soon as they can get the use of the streets to pile up their bricks and stuff in.

Between Ole Engelstad and Fridtjof Nansen, on the other hand, it looked more promising, but as yet the first of these mountains obstructed our view so much that we could not decide with certainty.

Although his angle of view prevented him from seeing that particular street, he knew where the entourage was by the behavior of people at the one intersection not obstructed by buildings.

Monica Lewinsky or others suborned perjury, obstructed justice, intimidated witnesses or otherwise violated federal law.

Starr had reviewed several hundred pages his staff had written on the evidence, which claimed that Clinton had lied and perhaps obstructed justice.

The polls showed that a large majority of the public believed Clinton had lied and obstructed justice.