A bloc is a group of countries which have similar political aims and interests and that act together over some issues.
...the former Soviet bloc.
...the world's largest trading bloc.
Synonyms: group, union, league, ring More Synonyms of bloc
2. See also en bloc
bloc in British English
(blɒk)
noun
a group of people or countries combined by a common interest or aim
the Soviet bloc
Word origin
C20: from French: block
bloc in American English
(blɑk)
noun
1.
an alliance, often temporary, of political parties in a legislature
2. US
a group of legislators who, without regard to party affiliation, act together to advance some common interest of their constituents
the farm bloc
3.
a group of nations joined or acting together in mutual support
Word origin
Fr & OFr < MDu block, log, UNRESOLVED CROSS REF
Examples of 'bloc' in a sentence
bloc
The currency bloc expanded by 0.3 per cent in the second quarter.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Eurozone industrial production dipped in July as recovery in the currency bloc continued to lose momentum.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The court is a driving force for change as far as human rights go in the former eastern bloc.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The package was meant to get the single currency bloc through to the end of the year at least.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Are Evangelicals too identified as a partisan political bloc?
Christianity Today (2000)
The former Soviet bloc is also offering a wide range of new artists.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Nato may put troops in old Soviet bloc.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Nowhere did the capitalist class constitute a single, unified bloc.
Overbeek, Henk Global Capitalism and National Decline (1989)
For a currency bloc that appeared to be on its knees, the return of growth was welcome.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A large percentage of the staff at the new centre are from the Eastern bloc.
The Sun (2013)
A vote to leave the world 's largest bloc of knowledge would mean the opposite.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If the Eurozone survives, it will need to unify as one vast economic and political bloc.
The Sun (2016)
There's some great value in what was once the Eastern bloc.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Yet Germany's own economy continues to cause problems for the wider currency bloc.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
All countries of the old eastern bloc, of course, automatically accepted the sporting status of competition chess.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We are currently shackled, he says, to the only trading bloc in the world that is experiencing no growth.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Croatia: I always think they are the strongest of the nations from the former eastern bloc.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Times: 'The government is a sectarian government which is not based on the constitution and did not respect its agreements with the other political blocs.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
As the drama over Greece rumbles on in the background, the services and manufacturing industries in the single currency bloc are growing faster than expected.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
A generation has grown up in the meantime and most of the eastern bloc has joined the EU.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
bloc
British English: bloc NOUN
A bloc is a group of countries which have similar political aims and interests and that act together over some issues.
...the world's largest trading bloc.
American English: bloc
Brazilian Portuguese: bloco
Chinese: > 阵营具有相似政治目标和利益的国家结成的
European Spanish: bloque
French: bloc
German: Block
Italian: blocco
Japanese: 連合
Korean: 블록
European Portuguese: bloco
Latin American Spanish: bloque
All related terms of 'bloc'
en bloc
If a group of people do something en bloc , they do it all together and at the same time. If a group of people or things are considered en bloc , they are considered as a group, rather than separately.
Black Bloc
an informal grouping of militant , mainly anarchist , protesters who act together during anti-capitalism, anti-war, etc, protests , often wearing black hoods and black clothing
Eastern bloc
→ the Eastern bloc
sterling bloc
a group of mainly Commonwealth countries that used sterling as a medium of international payments and sometimes informally as a currency against which to peg their own currencies. For these purposes they deposited sterling balances and held gold and dollar reserves in the Bank of England
Bloc Québécois
(in Canada ) a political party that advocates autonomy for Quebec
the Eastern bloc
( formerly ) the Soviet bloc
sterling area
a group of mainly Commonwealth countries that used sterling as a medium of international payments and sometimes informally as a currency against which to peg their own currencies. For these purposes they deposited sterling balances and held gold and dollar reserves in the Bank of England
(noun)
Definition
a group of people or countries combined by a common interest
the former Soviet bloc
Synonyms
group
Members of an environmental group are staging a protest inside a chemical plant.
union
the question of which countries should join the currency union
league
the League of Nations
ring
investigation of an international crime ring
alliance
The two parties were still too much apart to form an alliance.
coalition
He had been opposed by a coalition of civil-rights organizations.
axis
combine
Additional synonyms
in the sense of alliance
Definition
a formal relationship between two or more countries or political parties to work together
The two parties were still too much apart to form an alliance.
Synonyms
union,
league,
association,
agreement,
marriage,
connection,
combination,
coalition,
treaty,
partnership,
federation,
pact,
compact,
confederation,
affinity,
affiliation,
confederacy,
concordat
in the sense of coalition
Definition
a temporary alliance, esp. between political parties
He had been opposed by a coalition of civil-rights organizations.
Synonyms
alliance,
union,
league,
association,
combination,
merger,
integration,
compact,
conjunction,
bloc,
confederation,
fusion,
affiliation,
amalgam,
amalgamation,
confederacy
in the sense of league
Definition
an association of people or nations formed to promote the interests of its members