block (blɒk
)
Definitions
noun
- a large solid piece of wood, stone, or other material with flat rectangular sides, as for use in building
- any large solid piece of wood, stone, etc, usually having at least one face fairly flat
- such a piece on which particular tasks may be done, as chopping, cutting, or beheading
building block one of a set of wooden or plastic cubes as a child's toy- a form on which things are shaped or displayed ⇒
a wig block
- slang a person's head (esp in the phrase knock someone's block off)
- See do one's block
- a dull, unemotional, or hardhearted person
- a large building of offices, flats, etc
- a group of buildings in a city bounded by intersecting streets on each side
- the area or distance between such intersecting streets
- Australian New Zealand an area of land for a house, farm, etc
- Australian New Zealand a log, usually a willow, fastened to a timber base and used in a wood-chopping competition
- an area of land, esp one to be divided for building or settling
- See cylinder block
- a piece of wood, metal, or other material having an engraved, cast, or carved design in relief, used either for printing or for stamping book covers, etc
- British a letterpress printing plate, esp one mounted type-high on wood or metal
- a casing housing one or more freely rotating pulleys See also block and tackle
- See on the block
- the act of obstructing or condition of being obstructed, as in sports
- an obstruction or hindrance
- pathology
- interference in the normal physiological functioning of an organ or part
- See heart block
- See nerve block
- psychology a short interruption of perceptual or thought processes
- obstruction of an opponent in a sport
- a section or quantity, as of tickets or shares, handled or considered as a single unit
- ((as modifier) ⇒
a block booking
block voting
- a stretch of railway in which only one train may travel at a time
- ((as modifier) ⇒
a block signal
- an unseparated group of four or more postage stamps Compare strip1 (sense 3)
- a pad of paper
- computing a group of words treated as a unit of data on a tape, disk, etc
- athletics short for starting block
- cricket a mark made near the popping crease by a batsman to indicate his position in relation to the wicket
- See a chip off the old block
verb (mainly tr)
- to shape or form (something) into a block
- to fit with or mount on a block
- to shape by use of a block ⇒
to block a hat
- (often foll by up) to obstruct (a passage, channel, etc) or prevent or impede the motion or flow of (something or someone) by introducing an obstacle ⇒
to block the traffic
to block up a pipe
- to impede, retard, or prevent (an action, procedure, etc)
- to stamp (a title, design, etc) on (a book cover, etc) by means of a block (see sense 12), esp using gold leaf or other foil
- (esp of a government or central bank) to limit the use or conversion of assets or currency
- (also intr) sport to obstruct or impede movement by (an opponent)
- (intr) to suffer a psychological block
- to interrupt a physiological function, as by use of an anaesthetic
- (also intr) cricket to play (a ball) defensively
Alternative Forms
ˈblocker nounWord Origin
C14: from Old French bloc , from Dutch blok ; related to Old High German blohTranslations
- British English:
block
A block of a substance is a large rectangular piece of it....a block of ice.blɒk NOUN ...a block of ice.
- Spanish:
bloque
nm
- French:
bloc
nm
- German:
Klotz
nm Klötze
- Chinese: 块 n
- Arabic: كُتْلَة n
- Portuguese: bloco nm
- Russian: блок nm
- Croatian: blok nm
- Czech: blok nm
- Danish: blok nutr
- Dutch: blok nnt
- Finnish: pölkky n
- Greek: στερεό τεμάχιο nnt
- Italian: blocco nm
- Japanese: 塊 n
- Korean: 덩어리 n
- Norwegian: kloss nm
- Polish: bryła nf
- Brazilian Portuguese: bloco nm
- European Spanish:
bloque
nm
- Swedish: kloss nutr
- Thai: ชิ้นหรือของหรือวัสดุที่เป็นของแข็ง n
- Turkish: blok n
- Vietnamese: khối n
- British English:
block
In a town, a block is a group of buildings with streets on all four sides.She walked four blocks down the street.blɒk NOUN She walked four blocks down the street.
- Spanish:
manzana
nf
- French:
pâté de maisons
nm
- German:
Wohnblock
nm Wohnblöcke
- Chinese: 街区 n
- Arabic: مُجْمُوعَةُ البِنَايَات n
- Portuguese: conjunto habitacional nm
- Russian: квартал nm
- Croatian: blok nm
- Czech: blok nm
- Danish: blok nutr
- Dutch: blok nnt
- Finnish: kortteli n
- Greek: οικοδομικό τετράγωνο nnt
- Italian: isolato nm
- Japanese: ブロック n
- Korean: 벽돌 n
- Norwegian: blokk nm
- Polish: blok nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: quarteirão nm
- European Spanish: manzana de pisos nf
- Swedish: kvarter nnt
- Thai: ช่วงตึก n
- Turkish: blok n
- Vietnamese: khu nhà n
- British English:
block
A block is an obstruction or hindrance.blɒk NOUN
- Spanish:
escollo
nm
- French:
blocage
nm
- German:
Absperrung
nf
- Chinese: 阻塞 n
- Arabic: حَاجِز n
- Portuguese: bloqueio nm
- Russian: препятствие nnt
- Croatian: prepreka nf
- Czech: ucpání nnt
- Danish: spærring nutr
- Dutch: versperring nf
- Finnish: sulku n
- Greek: εμπόδιο nm
- Italian: blocco nm
- Japanese: 閉塞物 n
- Korean: 장애물 n
- Norwegian: hinder nm
- Polish: zatkanie nnt
- Brazilian Portuguese: bloqueio nm
- European Spanish:
escollo
nm
- Swedish: hinder nnt
- Thai: สิ่งกีดขวาง n
- Turkish: engel n
- Vietnamese: sự trở ngại n
- British English:
block
To block a road or channel means to put something across or in it so that nothing can go through it or along it.A tree fell down and blocked the road.blɒk VERB A tree fell down and blocked the road.
- Spanish:
bloquear
v
- French:
bloquer
vt
- German:
blockieren
v
- Chinese: 封锁 v
- Arabic: يـَمْنَعُ v
- Portuguese: bloquear v
- Russian: блокировать v
- Croatian: blokirati v
- Czech: zablokovat v blokovat
- Danish: blokere v
- Dutch: blokkeren v
- Finnish: tukkia v
- Greek: εμποδίζω v
- Italian: bloccare v
- Japanese: ふさぐ v
- Korean: 막다 v
- Norwegian: blokkere v
- Polish: zablokować v blokować
- Brazilian Portuguese: bloquear v
- European Spanish:
bloquear
v
- Swedish: blockera v
- Thai: กีดขวาง v
- Turkish: tıkamak v
- Vietnamese: gây trở ngại v
Usage examples
Two days later, at the specified time, she entered a crumbling apartment block in Montmartre.
, CHAMELEON (2002)The bunker is accessed by means of a series of blast doors through interconnecting rooms and includes a toilet block.
Country Life (2004)On every corner and every block the soldiers had smashed the water pipes and mains, destroyed cars and ripped up electricity cables.
Irish Times (2002)He said:'I can confirm that money for the Scottish Parliament building will come from the executive block grant.
Glasgow Herald (2001)He sneezed again, then felt light-headed so sat on a fallen block of stone.
, The Grail Quest (3) HERETIC (2004)