to obstruct someone's plans
1
5.6
- phrasal verb
- He tried to obstruct their plans by spreading rumors about their project.
Examples
-
He always tries to obstruct my plans.
-
It is unethical to obstruct someone's plans simply out of jealousy.
-
The sudden storm obstructed our plans for a picnic in the park.
-
Don't obstruct her plans!
-
He tried to obstruct someone's plans by refusing to cooperate with the team.
-
It is wrong to obstruct someone's plans for personal gain.
-
Don't obstruct my plans for the event by being uncooperative.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Stop something from happening or someone from doing it
989
3.0
To stop movement, access, or progress
235
3.3
To stop or slow something from happening
164
7.1
To damage things on purpose so they stop working
152
3.5
To try to stop something by making people less willing to do it
151
4.8
To stop public protest by force or by people in power
151
3.4
Stop someone from reaching their goal
141
3.2
Stop someone or something from moving forward
89
5.1
To block a path or view
77
7.4
To stop someone from doing what they want
75
3.6
To make it difficult for people or things to do something
59
6.5
To slow the progress or movement of people and things
55
7.2
To stop something from happening or make it impossible
51
5.4
Stop or make something less likely to happen
35
5.5
To stop a plan or action from working
19
3.6
Stop someone from doing something they planned to do
17
8.7
To stop someone from making progress toward a goal
13
7.8
Completely stop protests or criticism
12
6.1
Stop a process or action from happening
5
8.0
To stop or slow progress
4
6.1
To stop someone or something from making progress
1
9.9
Stop someone's plans or efforts from succeeding
1
5.2
Cause a plan to fail or stop moving forward
1
8.2
Act against something to stop or slow it
To ruin someone's plans by making them fail or change suddenly
Antonyms
How Preventive
164
7.1
77
7.4
1
5.6
59
6.5
75
3.6
442
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to deliberately prevent someone from carrying out or achieving what they have planned' is directly and transparently derived from 'obstruct' (to block or impede) combined with 'someone's plans' (that person's intended actions). This is a standard verb + object composition with predictable semantics and cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The verb obstruct someone's plans comes from the image of putting something in the way of a path: obstruct means to block and plans are the way a person wants to go. So, to obstruct someone's plans is like putting a barrier in their way and means 'to stop or block someone's plans on purpose'.