Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense blocks, present participle blocking, past tense, past participle blocked
1. countable noun
A block of flats or offices is a large building containing them.
...blocks of council flats. [+ of]
...a white-painted apartment block.
Synonyms: building, group, complex, tower More Synonyms of block
2. countable noun
A block in a town is an area of land with streets on all its sides.
She walked four blocks down High Street.
He walked around the block three times.
3. countable noun
A blockof a substance is a large rectangular piece of it.
...a block of ice. [+ of]
Synonyms: piece, bar, square, mass More Synonyms of block
4. verb
To block a road, channel, or pipe means to put an object across it or in it so that nothingcan pass through it or along it.
Some students today blocked a highway that cuts through the center of the city. [VERB noun]
When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream. [VERB noun]
He can clear blocked drains. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: obstruct, close, stop, cut off More Synonyms of block
5. verb
If something blocks your view, it prevents you from seeing something because it is between you and thatthing.
...a row of spruce trees that blocked his view of the long north slope of the mountain. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: obscure, bar, cut off, interrupt More Synonyms of block
6. verb
If you block someone's way, you prevent them from going somewhere or entering a place by standing in front of them.
I started to move round him, but he blocked my way. [VERB noun]
Mr Calder tried to leave the shop but the police officer blocked his path. [VERB noun]
7. verb
If you block something that is being arranged, you prevent it from being done.
For years the country has tried to block imports of various cheap foreign products. [VERB noun]
His persistent attempts to complain to his superiors were blocked and ignored. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: prevent, stop, check, bar More Synonyms of block
8. verb
In some sports, if a player blocks a shot or kick, they stop the ball reaching its target. If one player blocks another, the first stops the second from reaching or moving with the ball.
The City goalkeeper had superbly blocked a shot. [VERB noun]
9. countable noun
A blockof 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.
Those booking a block of seats get them at reduced rates. [+ of]
Synonyms: batch, group, lot, collection More Synonyms of block
10. countable noun
If you have a mental block or a block, you are temporarily unable to do something that you can normally do which involves using, thinking about, or remembering something.
11. See also breeze-block, building block, roadblock, starting block, stumbling block, tower block
12. a chip off the old block
13.
See lay one's head is on the block/put one's head on the block
Phrasal verbs:
See block in
See block off
See block out
See block up
More Synonyms of block
block in British English
(blɒk)
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
3.
such a piece on which particular tasks may be done, as chopping, cutting, or beheading
4. Also called: building block
one of a set of wooden or plastic cubes as a child's toy
5.
a form on which things are shaped or displayed
a wig block
6. slang
a person's head (esp in the phrase knock someone's block off)
7. 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
a log, usually a willow, fastened to a timber base and used in a wood-chopping competition
13.
an area of land, esp one to be divided for building or settling
14. cylinder block
15.
a.
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
b. British
a letterpress printing plate, esp one mounted type-high on wood or metal
16.
a casing housing one or more freely rotating pulleys
See also block and tackle
17. 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. heart block
c. nerve block
21. psychology
a short interruption of perceptual or thought processes
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
25.
an unseparated group of four or more postage stamps
Compare strip1 (sense 3)
26.
a pad of paper
27. computing
a group of words treated as a unit of data on a tape, disk, etc
28. athletics short for starting block
29. cricket
a mark made near the popping crease by a batsman to indicate his or her position in relation to the wicket
30. 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
35.
to impede, retard, or prevent (an action, procedure, etc)
to block the publication of a book
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 sense15), 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)
40. (intransitive)
to suffer a psychological block
41.
to interrupt a physiological function, as by use of an anaesthetic
42. (also intr) cricket
to play (a ball) defensively
Derived forms
blocker (ˈblocker)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French bloc, from Dutch blok; related to Old High German bloh
Block in American English
(blɑk)
island in S R.I., at the entrance to Long Island Sound
Word origin
after Adriaen Block, 17th-c. Du navigator who explored it
block in American English
(blɑk)
noun
1.
a solid mass of wood, stone, etc., usually with one or more flat or approximatelyflat faces
2.
a hollow masonry building unit of cement, terra cotta, etc
a wall made of concrete blocks
3.
one of a set of cube-shaped pieces of wood, plastic, or the like, used as a child'stoy in building
4.
a mold or piece on which something is shaped or kept in shape
a hat block
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
8.
a short length of plank serving as a bridging, as between joists
9.
a stump or wooden structure on which a condemned person is beheaded
Mary Stuart went bravely to the block
10. See auction block
11. Machinery
a part enclosing one or more freely rotating, grooved pulleys, about which ropes or chains pass to form a hoisting or hauling tackle
12.
an obstacle, obstruction, or hindrance
His stubbornness is a block to all my efforts
13.
the state or condition of being obstructed; blockage
The traffic block lasted several hours
14. Pathology
a.
an obstruction, as of a nerve
b. See heart block
15. Sport
a hindering of an opponent's actions
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 unitby the computer for input or output:
This file has 20 records per block
b.
a section of storage locations in a computer allocated to a particular set of instructions or data
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
25. (in glassmaking)
a wooden or metal cup for blocking a gather
26.
an obstruction or stoppage in mental processes or speech, esp. when related to stress, emotional conflict, etc
27. See writer's block
28. Geology
a.
any large, angular mass of solid rock
b. See fault block
29. (in Canada)
a wild or remote area of land that has not yet been surveyed
the Peace River block
30. Automobiles See cylinder block
31. Falconry
a low perch to which a falcon is tethered outdoors
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
b.
to draw a floor plan on (a stage) in order to indicate placement of scenery, stage property, etc
38. Pathology & Physiology
to stop the passage of impulses in (a nerve)
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
41. (in glassmaking)
a.
to shape (a molten gather) in a wet cup of wood or metal
b.
to plunge a block of wood into (molten glass) to aid in refining the glass
42. Engineering
to give (a forging) a rough form before finishing
43. Electronics
to apply a high negative bias to the grid of (a vacuum tube), for reducing the plate current to zero
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
Derived forms
blockable
adjective
Word origin
[1275–1325; ME blok log, stump (‹ MF bloc) ‹ MD blok; perh. akin to balk]
More idioms containing
block
a chip off the old block
a stumbling block
put your head on the block
on the block
Examples of 'block' in a sentence
block
But the way forward was blocked by political obstacles to reaching such a solution.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They aim to snarl traffic in the area by blocking the main coastal motorway.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He vowed to crack down on councils blocking housebuilding.
The Sun (2016)
On the streets rising up the hillside above me are new, swish apartment blocks.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Another large government office block that was opened in 2005 may have to be demolished.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are best done in solid blocks, and invest in texture if you want a bit of a kick.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Maybe their view was blocked.
The Sun (2016)
He escaped a rolling road block by turning into the street where he lived, only to find it blocked by another police car.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Commodity prices, the building blocks of much of what we buy, are also climbing.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
These are all positive building blocks for the life ahead.
Jan Fennell, Foreword by Monty Roberts THE DOG LISTENER: Learning the Language of your Best Friend (2002)
It was as high as an apartment building and as long as a city block.
Len Deighton Bomber
The best way to experience this area is by staying in one of the many apartment blocks.
The Sun (2015)
There are blocks to check areas of interest.
Christianity Today (2000)
They could fill this space so it became a solid block of mineral.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There were reports that at least one member country tried to block the sanctions.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In recent years blocks have been cleared in preparation for demolition.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The goalkeeper pulled off two fantastic saves and there was one blocked on the line.
The Sun (2012)
Large deposits can block an artery so blood cannot flow.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They are another important building block in the case for a review of his conviction.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Trees are actually carved from huge blocks of wood.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Nobody in the council blocks did either.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The end of block booking was hurting the studios.
Sidney Sheldon The Other Side of Me
Yet when kept properly they can block out ugly views and offer privacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The solid blocks of buildings took its place.
Paige, Frances The Glasgow Girls (1994)
The apartment block in which the contestants live looks utterly out of keeping with straitened times.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Also made some vital blocks in the area.
The Sun (2012)
The police have set up road blocks across the country to catch me.
The Sun (2012)
And staff had to work around the clock clearing blocked loos.
The Sun (2011)
Large blocks or swathes of one or two colours have more impact.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
As the cloud is moving off eastwards there are no rain clouds blocking its way so clear weather ensues.
The Sun (2011)
How do they find time to chain themselves to railings and block traffic when one would expect them to be working?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Smiling, he continued politely to block our way to the top.
The Sun (2013)
Word lists with
block
Terms used in American football, Social networking terms
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 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
Latin American Spanish: bloque
Swedish: kloss
Thai: ชิ้นหรือของหรือวัสดุที่เป็นของแข็ง
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 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
Latin American Spanish: manzana espacio urbano
Swedish: kvarter
Thai: ช่วงตึก
Turkish: blok bina
Ukrainian: квартал
Vietnamese: khu nhà
British English: block /blɒk/ NOUN
obstruction A block is an obstruction or hindrance.
American English: block 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
Latin American 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
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
Latin American Spanish: bloquear
Swedish: blockera
Thai: กีดขวาง
Turkish: tıkamak
Ukrainian: блокувати
Vietnamese: phong tỏa
All related terms of 'block'
H-block
a name for the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland , closed in 2000
block in
If you are blocked in , someone has parked their car in such a way that you cannot drive yours away.
block off
When you block off a door , window , or passage , you put something across it so that nothing can pass through it.
block out
If someone blocks out a thought, they try not to think about it.
block tin
pure tin , esp when cast into ingots
block up
If you block something up or if it blocks up , it is blocked completely so that nothing can get through it.
ice block
a flavoured frozen water ice : in Australia and New Zealand , sometimes on a stick
block chord
a two-handed chord played usually in the middle range of the piano with the left hand duplicating or complementing the right-hand notes
block front
a front of a desk , chest of drawers , etc., of the third quarter of the 18th century, having three vertical divisions of equal width , a sunken one between raised ones, all divided by flat areas to which they are connected by curves, often with a shell motif forming a rounded termination to each section
block grant
(in Britain) an annual grant made by the government to a local authority to help to pay for the public services it provides, such as health , education , and housing
block lava
volcanic lava occurring as rough-surfaced jagged blocks
block line
a rope or cable used in a block and tackle
block party
an outdoor party held for the residents of an urban neighbourhood
block plane
a carpenter's small plane used to cut across the end grain of wood
block print
a design printed by means of one or more blocks of wood or metal
block vote
A block vote is a large number of votes that are all cast in the same way by one person on behalf of a group of people.
brake block
the part of the brake in a train or on a bicycle that is applied to the wheel to slow the vehicle down or stop it
crown block
A crown block is a fixed set of sheaves (= pulleys ) at the top of a derrick , over which the drilling line is run.
fault block
a mass of rock bounded on at least two opposite sides by faults
glass block
a translucent , hollow or solid block of glass for glazing openings or constructing partitions , usually square on the face, with the outer surfaces treated in any of various ways
heart block
impaired conduction or blocking of the impulse that regulates the heartbeat , resulting in a lack of coordination between the beating of the atria and the ventricles
line block
a letterpress printing block made by a photoengraving process without the use of a screen
mitre block
a block of wood with slots for cutting mitre joints with a saw
nerve block
induction of anaesthesia in a specific part of the body by injecting a local anaesthetic close to the sensory nerves that supply it
plate block
a block of postage stamps with a serial number ( plate number ) in the margin
swage block
an iron block cut with holes, recesses , and grooves to assist in the cold-working of metal
tower block
A tower block is a tall building divided into flats or offices.
wood block
a block of wood, esp. one used in making a woodcut
auction block
a platform from which an auctioneer sells
block booking
the making of bookings for a number of people, or e. g . purchasing a number of seats in a theatre , concert hall , etc at the same time
block capital
a plain capital letter
block diagram
a diagram showing the interconnections between the parts of an industrial process
block letter
a plain capital letter
block letters
Block letters are the same as block capitals .
block release
the release of industrial trainees from work for study at a college for several weeks
block system
the system whereby a railway is divided up into separate sections of track where only one train can travel at a time
block traffic
Traffic refers to all the vehicles that are moving along the roads in a particular area.
block voting
voting using block votes
breeze block
A breeze-block is a large, grey brick made from ashes and cement.
butcher block
designating or of a thick slab made by gluing together strips of hardwood , as maple or oak , used for counter and table tops, etc.
cavity block
a precast concrete block that contains a cavity or cavities
Chinese block
a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow wooden block played with a drumstick
cinder block
A cinder block is a large grey brick made from coal cinders and cement which is used for building .
clinker block
a light building brick made from the ashes of coal, coke , etc, bonded together by cement and used esp for walls that bear relatively small loads
engine block
the metal casting containing the piston chambers of an internal combustion engine
mental block
→ block (sense 21 )
office block
a large building designed to provide office accommodation
opossum block
(in New Zealand) a block of bush allocated to a licensed opossum trapper
pillow block
a block that supports a journal bearing
plummer block
a block that supports a journal bearing
Chinese translation of 'block'
block
(blɔk)
n(c)
(= group of buildings) 街区(區) (jiēqū) (个(個), gè)
(= toy) 积(積)木 (jīmù)
[of stone, wood, ice]块(塊) (kuài)
vt
[entrance, road]堵塞 (dǔsè)
[view]挡(擋)住 (dǎngzhù)
[activity, agreement]阻止 (zǔzhǐ)
block of flats or (US) apartment block公寓楼(樓) (gōngyùlóu)