block

Compared meaning: to block or seal off a road or passage (verb).

比较义项：阻塞、封锁道路或通道（动词）。

• block 本词

  The most general term: to stop something from passing, with no implication of a built barrier — the obstruction can be any object, like a fallen tree or a stalled car.

  最通用的说法：表示阻止某物通过，并不暗示搭建了障碍物——阻挡物可以是任何东西，比如一棵倒下的树或一辆抛锚的车。

  Roadworks block the street every morning during rush hour.

  道路施工每天早高峰时段都会堵塞这条街道。

• barricade

  Implies deliberately building a barrier out of objects such as furniture, vehicles, or sandbags to block a road, door, or passage, often for defense or protest.

  指故意用家具、车辆、沙袋等物品搭建路障来堵住道路、门口或通道，常用于防御或抗议。

  Protesters used old furniture to barricade the street entrance.

  抗议者用旧家具在街道入口设置路障。

• blockade

  Refers to surrounding a port, city, or country over time, often by military force, to cut off supplies or movement in and out.

  指长时间包围港口、城市或国家，常由军事力量执行，以切断物资或人员的进出。

  The enemy fleet tried to blockade the harbor for weeks.

  敌方舰队试图封锁港口数周之久。

Block, barricade, and blockade mean stopping something from passing, but method and scale differ. Block is the most general word. Barricade means building a barrier from objects to block a road. Blockade means surrounding a large area, like a port or city, by military force.

这三个词都表示阻止通行，但方式和规模不同：block 最通用，不涉及具体手段；barricade 强调用障碍物设路障；blockade 强调长时间封锁较大的区域（如港口、城市）。

Compared meaning: to stop or slow down progress (verb).

比较义项：阻碍、妨碍某事的进行（动词）。

• block 本词

  The most common, general word; means to completely stop something from happening or continuing, either physically (a road, a view) or figuratively (a deal, a plan).

  最常用、最通用的词；指彻底阻止某事发生或继续，既可用于物理阻挡（如道路、视线），也可用于阻止计划、交易等抽象事物。

  The board voted to block the proposed merger between the two companies.

  董事会投票阻止了这两家公司之间拟议的合并。

• hinder

  Means to slow something down or make it more difficult, without necessarily stopping it completely; often used with abstract processes like plans or growth, frequently in the passive 'be hindered by'.

  指拖慢速度或增加难度，不一定彻底阻止；常用于计划、增长等抽象过程，常用被动式“be hindered by”。

  Lack of funding continued to hinder the charity's expansion plans.

  资金不足持续阻碍了该慈善机构的扩张计划。

• embarrass

  A formal, old-fashioned use meaning to hinder or hamper, quite rare today; typically describes a shortage of money, supplies, or troops slowing an effort down. Its far more common modern sense is 'to cause shame', not compared here.

  较为正式、老式的用法，意为阻碍、妨碍，现代英语中已很少见；通常描述资金、物资或兵力不足拖慢了某项行动。它更常见的现代意思是“使尴尬”，这里不比较该义项。

  A shortage of horses embarrassed the army's advance across the plain.

  马匹短缺妨碍了军队穿越平原的推进。

• obstruct

  A formal word meaning to physically block a passage, or to prevent a process or procedure from continuing; common in legal and physical contexts such as 'obstruct traffic' or 'obstruct justice'.

  正式用词，指物理上堵塞通道，或阻碍程序、进程的进行；常见于法律和物理语境，如“obstruct traffic（阻塞交通）”“obstruct justice（妨碍司法）”。

  It is a serious crime to obstruct a police investigation.

  妨碍警方调查是一项严重的罪行。

Block, hinder, obstruct, and embarrass can mean to stop progress, but differ. Block is most direct, fully stopping something. Hinder means slowing something down without fully stopping it. Obstruct is formal, meaning to physically block a process. Embarrass's common sense, 'cause shame', is not compared.

这四个词在“阻碍、妨碍”这个意义上比较接近，但语气和使用场景不同：block最常用最直接，指彻底阻止某事发生或通过；hinder强调拖慢速度或增加难度，不一定完全阻止；obstruct语气较正式，常指物理上堵塞通道或在程序上妨碍进行（如“妨碍司法”）；embarrass在这个意义上是较古旧、书面化的用法，这里不比较embarrass更常见的现代义项“使尴尬”。