Definition of 'block'
Word forms: blocks, blocking, blocked
1. countable noun
A block of a substance is a large rectangular piece of it.
3. countable noun
4. countable noun
Blocks are wooden or plastic cubes, such as those used as toys by children.
5. transitive verb
To block a road, channel, or pipe means to put an object across it or in it so that nothing
can pass through it or along it.
6. transitive verb
If something blocks your view, it prevents you from seeing something because it is between you and that
thing.
7. transitive verb
8. transitive verb
If you block something that is being arranged, you prevent it from being done.
9. countable noun [usu N of n]
A block of something such as tickets or shares is a large quantity of them, especially when
they are all sold at the same time and are in a particular sequence or order.
10. countable noun
11. See also stumbling block
Phrasal verbs:
See block out
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
block
Word Frequency
Block in American English
island in S R.I., at the entrance to Long Island Sound
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
after Adriaen Block, 17th-c. Du navigator who explored it
Word Frequency
block in American English
(blɑk)
noun
1.
a solid mass of wood, stone, etc., usually with one or more flat or approximately
flat faces
3.
one of a set of cube-shaped pieces of wood, plastic, or the like, used as a child's
toy in building
5.
a piece of wood used in the art of making woodcuts or wood engravings
6. Printing
the base on which a plate is mounted to make it type-high
7.
a projection left on a squared stone to provide a means of lifting it
9.
Mary Stuart went bravely to the block
10. See auction block
11. Machinery
12.
an obstacle, obstruction, or hindrance
His stubbornness is a block to all my efforts
16.
a quantity, portion, or section taken as a unit or dealt with at one time
a large block of theater tickets
17.
a small section of a city, town, etc., enclosed by neighboring and intersecting streets
She lives on my block
18.
the length of one side of such a section
We walked two blocks over
19. chiefly Brit
a large building divided into separate apartments, offices, shops, etc
20.
a large number of bonds or shares of stock sold together as a single unit
21. Computing
a.
a group of data stored as a unit on an external storage medium and handled as a unit
by the computer for input or output:
This file has 20 records per block
b.
c.
a group of consecutive machine words organized as a unit and guiding a particular computer operation, esp.
with reference to input and output
d. (on a flow chart)
a symbol representing an operation, device, or instruction in a computer program
22. Railroads
any of the short lengths into which a track is divided for signaling purposes
23. Philately
a group of four or more unseparated stamps, not in a strip
24. slang
a person's head
26.
27. See writer's block
32. See put on the block
transitive verb
33. (sometimes fol. by up)
to obstruct (someone or something) by placing obstacles in the way
to block one's exit
to block up a passage
34.
to fit with blocks; mount on a block
35.
to shape or prepare on or with a block
to block a hat
to block a sweater
36.
to join (the ends of boards or the like) by fastening to a block of wood
37. Theater
a. Also: block out
to plan or work out the movement of performers in a play, pageant, etc
Tomorrow we'll block act one
39. Computing
to group ( contiguous data) together so as to allow to be read or written in a single operation
40. Sport
to hinder or bar the actions or movements of (an opposing player), esp. legitimately
intransitive verb
44.
to act so as to obstruct an opponent, as in football, hockey, and basketball
He doesn't get many baskets, but he sure can block
45. Theater
to block a play, act, scene, stage, etc
The director will block tomorrow
46.
to suffer a block
47. See block out
48. See block in
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
blockable adjective
Word origin
[1275–1325; ME blok log, stump (‹ MF bloc) ‹ MD blok; perh. akin to balk]Word Frequency
block in British English
noun
1.
a large solid piece of wood, stone, or other material with flat rectangular sides, as for use in building
2.
any large solid piece of wood, stone, etc, usually having at least one face fairly flat
5.
a form on which things are shaped or displayed
a wig block
7. See do one's block
8.
a dull, unemotional, or hardhearted person
9.
a large building of offices, flats, etc
10.
a.
a group of buildings in a city bounded by intersecting streets on each side
b.
the area or distance between such intersecting streets
11. Australian and New Zealand
an area of land for a house, farm, etc
12. Australian and New Zealand
13.
an area of land, esp one to be divided for building or settling
14. See cylinder block
15.
a.
17. See on the block
18.
the act of obstructing or condition of being obstructed, as in sports
19.
an obstruction or hindrance
20. pathology
a.
interference in the normal physiological functioning of an organ or part
b. See heart block
c. See nerve block
22.
obstruction of an opponent in a sport
23.
a.
a section or quantity, as of tickets or shares, handled or considered as a single unit
b.
(as modifier)
a block booking
block voting
24.
a.
a stretch of railway in which only one train may travel at a time
b.
(as modifier)
a block signal
26.
a pad of paper
29. cricket
30. See a chip off the old block
verb (mainly tr)
31.
to shape or form (something) into a block
32.
to fit with or mount on a block
33.
to shape by use of a block
to block a hat
34. (often foll by up)
to obstruct (a passage, channel, etc) or prevent or impede the motion, flow, or access of (something or someone) by introducing an obstacle
to block the traffic
to block up a pipe
36.
to prevent (a person, organization, etc) from performing an action or procedure
to block a nuisance caller
37.
to stamp (a title, design, etc) on (a book cover, etc) by means of a block (see sense
15), esp using gold leaf or other foil
38.
(esp of a government or central bank) to limit the use or conversion of assets or currency
39. (also intr) sport
to obstruct or impede movement by (an opponent)
41.
to interrupt a physiological function, as by use of an anaesthetic
42. (also intr) cricket
to play (a ball) defensively
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
blocker (ˈblocker) noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French bloc, from Dutch blok; related to Old High German blohExamples of 'block' in a sentence
block
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Word lists with
block
Terms used in American football, Social networking termsQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which term used in American football am I?
(of a quarterback) to make (a forward pass) successfully
Which term used in American football am I?
a goal scored while the ball is in normal play rather than from a free throw
Which term used in American football am I?
an offensive formation in which the quarterback lines up for a snap unusually far behind the line of scrimmage
Which term used in American football am I?
the defensive backfield
Which term used in American football am I?
the act of obstructing or condition of being obstructed, as in sports
Your score:
More idioms containing
block
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block
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In other languages
block
British English: block
/blɒk/ NOUN
rectangular piece A block of a substance is a large rectangular piece of it.
...a block of ice.
- American English: block /ˈblɒk/ solid piece
- Arabic: كُتْلَة
- Brazilian Portuguese: bloco
- Chinese: 块
- Croatian: blok
- Czech: blok velký kus hmoty
- Danish: blok ét stykke
- Dutch: blok hard stuk
- European Spanish: bloque
- Finnish: lohko
- French: bloc
- German: Klotz
- Greek: στερεό τεμάχιο
- Italian: blocco
- Japanese: 塊
- Korean: 덩어리
- Norwegian: kloss
- Polish: bryła
- European Portuguese: bloco
- Romanian: bloc
- Russian: блок
- Spanish: bloque
- Swedish: kloss
- Thai: วัสดุสี่เหลี่ยมชิ้นใหญ่
- Turkish: blok
- Ukrainian: блок
- Vietnamese: khối cục
British English: block
/blɒk/ NOUN
buildings In a town, a block is a group of buildings with streets on all four sides.
She walked four blocks down the street.
- American English: block /ˈblɒk/ buildings
- Arabic: مُجْمُوعَةُ البِنَايَات
- Brazilian Portuguese: quarteirão
- Chinese: 街区
- Croatian: blok
- Czech: blok seskupení domů
- Danish: blok boligblok
- Dutch: blok gebouwenblok
- European Spanish: manzana
- Finnish: kortteli
- French: pâté de maisons
- German: Wohnblock
- Greek: οικοδομικό τετράγωνο
- Italian: isolato
- Japanese: ブロック
- Korean: 벽돌
- Norwegian: blokk
- Polish: blok
- European Portuguese: quarteirão
- Romanian: cvartal
- Russian: квартал
- Spanish: manzana espacio urbano
- Swedish: kvarter
- Thai: ช่วงตึก
- Turkish: blok bina
- Ukrainian: квартал
- Vietnamese: khu nhà
- American English: block /ˈblɒk/ obstruction
- Arabic: حَاجِز
- Brazilian Portuguese: bloqueio
- Chinese: 阻塞
- Croatian: prepreka
- Czech: obstrukce
- Danish: spærring
- Dutch: versperring
- European Spanish: obstrucción
- Finnish: sulku
- French: blocage
- German: Absperrung
- Greek: εμπόδιο
- Italian: blocco
- Japanese: 閉塞物
- Korean: 장애물
- Norwegian: hinder
- Polish: zatkanie
- European Portuguese: bloqueio
- Romanian: obstacol
- Russian: препятствие
- Spanish: escollo
- Swedish: hinder
- Thai: สิ่งกีดขวาง
- Turkish: engel
- Ukrainian: перешкода
- Vietnamese: trở ngại
British English: block
/blɒk/ VERB
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.
- American English: block /ˈblɒk/
- Arabic: يـَمْنَعُ
- Brazilian Portuguese: bloquear
- Chinese: 封锁
- Croatian: blokirati
- Czech: zablokovat
- Danish: blokere
- Dutch: blokkeren
- European Spanish: bloquear
- Finnish: tukkia
- French: bloquer
- German: blockieren
- Greek: εμποδίζω
- Italian: bloccare
- Japanese: ふさぐ
- Korean: 막다
- Norwegian: blokkere
- Polish: zablokować
- European Portuguese: bloquear
- Romanian: a bloca
- Russian: блокировать
- Spanish: bloquear
- Swedish: blockera
- Thai: กีดขวาง
- Turkish: tıkamak
- Ukrainian: блокувати
- Vietnamese: phong tỏa
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block
Source
Definition of block from the Collins English Dictionary
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sauce or source?
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chord or cord?
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cord
chord
The door had been tied shut with a length of nylon .
gave or given?
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given
gave
He was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
forth or fourth?
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forth
fourth
Go into the desert.
hall or haul?
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tail or tale?
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ring or wring?
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ring
wring
You can me anytime.
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deer
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