Meaning & use
overcoming obstacles
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Meaning
phrase
the act of successfully dealing with difficulties that block your progress
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase or as a verb phrase in the -ing form. Often the subject of a sentence.
Patterns
- overcoming obstacles
- overcoming obstacles in something
- overcoming obstacles to do something
Overcoming obstacles is a key theme in many stories.
She wrote a book about overcoming obstacles in her career.
The team is focused on overcoming obstacles to reach their goal.
Common combinations
- overcome an obstacle
- They overcame an obstacle when they found a new route.
- face obstacles
- Many students face obstacles when learning a new language.
- a major obstacle
- Lack of money was a major obstacle.
- overcoming adversity
- Overcoming adversity made him stronger.
Synonyms and how they differ
- surmounting
- More formal and literary; often used with 'difficulties' or 'obstacles'.
- getting past
- Informal; focuses on moving beyond a problem rather than solving it.
Practice
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Choose one answer.
When 'overcoming obstacles' is the subject, it is treated as singular, so the verb should be 'is'. Option B is correct. Option A uses a plural verb; Option C uses the base form 'overcome' instead of the -ing form; Option D uses 'to' with the -ing form incorrectly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overcoming obstacles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.