block /blok/

1. A mass of wood or stone, etc, usu flat-sided
2. A piece of wood or other material used as a support (eg for chopping, beheading), shaped as a mould, engraved, etc for printing from, or used as a toy
3. (in pl) starting-blocks (often used in figurative phrases describing speed in starting on an enterprise)
4. A pulley with its framework or the framework alone
5. A compact mass, group or set
6. A group of buildings bounded by intersecting streets
7. Such a group regarded as a measure of distance (N American)
8. A large building containing individual units of accommodation, etc
9. A building lot (esp Aust)
10. An extensive area of land for settlement, etc (Aust and NZ)
11. An obstruction
12. The head (esp in the phrase knock someone's block off)
13. An impassive person
14. A psychological barrier preventing intellectual development, progress, etc
15. An instance of, or a cause of, blockage or blocking
16. An administrative unit in India
17. A bloc
18. A group of records or information units treated as a complete unit during the transfer or modification of data (computing)
19. (also license block) a section of sea within which a company is licensed to explore for and extract oil or gas
20. A brake block
21. A cylinder block
22. A chopping-block
23. A pad of writing or drawing paper

1. In a block or lump
2. Comprising a number grouped and dealt with together

1. To close or obstruct (a place) with obstacles
2. To obstruct (a person)
3. To impede or prevent
4. To make inactive, bring to a standstill, interrupt
5. To shape as on a block, or to sketch out roughly (often with in or out)
6. To stop (a ball) with a forward defensive shot (cricket)
7. To hinder the play or the action of an opposing player (sport)
8. To print (usu a fabric) from a block
9. To stamp a pattern, etc on (leather, a book cover, etc)
10. (also with out) to plan or rehearse the movements of the actors in (a scene, etc) (theatre)
11. See select (computing)

blockadeˈ noun

1. A cutting off of a place by surrounding it with troops or ships (military)
2. An obstruction

To block up by troops or ships

blockˈage noun

1. Something that obstructs
2. An act or instance of obstructing, or the state of being obstructed
3. Resistance to understanding, learning, etc set up by existing habits of thought and action

blocked adjective

blockˈer noun

1. A player who blocks (sport)
2. A substance, used as a drug, that prevents the production, or the operation, of some other substance in the body (medicine)

blockˈing noun

1. The interruption of a train of thought, esp by unpleasant thoughts rising in the mind
2. The cut-off of anode current in a valve because of high negative voltage in the grid (electronics)

blockˈish adjective

1. Like a block
2. Stupid, dull

blockˈy adjective

1. Block-shaped
2. In blocks
3. Stocky, chunky

blockadeˈ-runner noun

A person or ship that passes through a blockading force

block and tackle noun

A lifting device comprising a case (block) containing a pulley and its chains or ropes (tackle)

blockˈboard noun

Plywood board made up of veneer enclosing thin strips of wood

blockˈ-book noun

A book printed from engraved blocks, not movable types

blockˈbuster noun

1. A bomb or explosive charge able to destroy a number of buildings simultaneously
2. A forceful or powerful thing or person
3. An expensively produced and commercially successful film, novel, etc

blockˈbusting noun and adjective

block capital noun

A capital letter written in sanserif

blockˈ-chain noun

An endless chain of blocks and links

blockˈ-coal noun

Coal that breaks into cuboidal blocks

block diagram noun (computing)

One made up of squares and rectangles representing different hardware and software components, with lines showing their interconnections

blocked shoe noun

A ballet dancer's dancing pump with a stiffened toe-piece, enabling dancing on points

blocked style noun (typing)

The display style, with all text beginning at the left margin without centring, indenting or underscoring

block gauge noun

A block of hardened steel with its opposite faces accurately ground and polished flat and parallel, used to check the accuracy of other gauges

block grant noun

A general grant made by the central government to a local authority for all its services

blockˈhead noun (informal)

1. A stupid person
2. A woodenhead

blockˈhole noun (cricket)

The place where a batsman rests the end of his bat when batting

blockˈhouse noun

1. A small temporary fort
2. A house constructed of squared logs
3. A shelter of reinforced concrete, etc used as an observation post and control centre for rocket launches, etc

blocking motion noun

Notice of intention to bring up a certain matter at a future date, thus preventing (or blocking) raising of the subject on a motion for adjournment

block letter noun

1. A block capital
2. Block type

block party noun

A party given for all of the residents of a building or neighbourhood

block plane noun

A small very acute-angled plane for cutting across the grain at the end of a piece of wood

block printing noun

Printing from hand-carved or engraved blocks, now used for specialist books, wallpaper and textiles

block release noun

Release from employment for a period of weeks or more in order to follow a course of study

blockˈship noun

A warship too old for action, but useful in port defence

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