an obstacle or hindrance to progress, belief, or understanding.
Origin
1580-90
Synonyms
hurdle, barrier, impediment, block, bar.
Examples from the web for stumbling block
But the project has encountered an unexpected stumbling block.
If you reach a stumbling block, try using the one-minute struggle.
Research has found that the need for remedial math in college is a major stumbling block toward graduation.
The big stumbling block for them is the calc-based physics.
Paradoxically, people might join because they don't want their intelligence to be a stumbling block in social situations.
Limiting agricultural protection in developing countries is one, and this has been another stumbling block in negotiations.
But perhaps the biggest stumbling block is that the technique can also cause cancer.
Funding for the entire project-perhaps its main stumbling block-still remains tentative.
Battery power density is a major stumbling block preventing the widespread use of electric vehicles, but it is not the only one.
The economic impact is a feature, not a stumbling block.
British Dictionary definitions for stumbling block
stumbling block
noun
1.
any impediment or obstacle
Idioms and Phrases with stumbling block
stumbling block
A hindrance or obstacle, as in His lack of a degree is a real stumbling block to his advancement. This term originally meant “a tree stump over which one trips.” Its figurative use dates from the early 1500s.