block Hear it!

block Definition

block (bläk)

noun

  1. any large, solid piece of wood, stone, or metal, often with flat surfaces
  2. a blocklike stand or platform on which hammering, chopping, etc. is done a butcher's block, headsman's block
  3. ☆ an auctioneer's platform
    1. a mold upon which things are shaped, as hats
    2. the shape of a hat
  4. anything that stops movement or progress; obstruction, obstacle, or hindrance
  5. a pulley or system of pulleys in a frame, with a hook, loop, etc. for attachment
  6. any solid piece of material used to strengthen or support
    1. an oblong building unit of concrete, larger than a brick and usually not solid
    2. a similar unit of glass or other material
    3. such units collectively
  7. a toy brick, typically cubic, of wood or plastic
  8. Now Brit. a large building with many units in it, or a group of buildings regarded as a unit
    1. an area bounded by streets or buildings on four sides; city square
    2. the distance along one side of such an area
  9. any number of persons or things regarded as a unit a block of tickets
  10. the metal casting that houses the cylinders of an internal-combustion engine; engine block
  11. Slang a person's head
  12. Comput. a unit of memory, consisting of one or more contiguous words, bytes, or records
  13. Med.
    1. an interruption of normal function in a part of the body heart block, kidney block
    2. an interruption of the passage of impulses through a nerve by means of pressure or anesthetics
  14. Printing a piece of wood, linoleum, etc. engraved with a design or picture
  15. Psychiatry a sudden interruption in speech or thought processes, resulting from deep emotional conflict, repression, etc.
  16. Railroading a length of track governed by signals
  17. Sports an interruption, restraining, or thwarting of an opponent's play or movement
  18. Philately a set of four or more unseparated stamps forming a rectangle
  19. Track & Field starting blocks

Etymology: ME blokke < OFr bloc & MDu block < IE *bhlugo- < base *bhel-, a thick plank, beam > balk, Gr phalanx, L fulcrum

transitive verb

  1. to impede the passage or progress of; obstruct
  2. to blockade
  3. to create difficulties for; stand in the way of; hinder
    1. to shape or mold on or as on a block
    2. to stamp with a block
  4. to form into blocks
  5. to strengthen or support with blocks
  6. to restrict or prohibit the use, conversion, or flow of (currency, assets, etc.)
  7. to sketch or outline with little or no detail: often with out
  8. Games, Sports to hinder (an opponent or his play), whether legally or as a foul
  9. Med. to prevent the transmission of impulses in (a nerve), esp. by anesthetizing
  10. Theater to plan or direct (the movements on stage of actors)

Etymology: Fr bloquer < the n.

intransitive verb

  1. to have a mental block (on)
  2. Sports to block an opponent

adjective

  1. made or formed in a block or blocks block coal
  2. set out like or involving a city block
  3. Stenography having no indentation in address, heading, or paragraphs

block Idioms

block up

  1. to fill in (a passage, space, etc.) so as to obstruct
  2. to elevate on blocks

go to the block

  1. to be beheaded
  2. to be up for sale in an auction

knock someone's block off

Slang to give a beating to

on the block

up for sale or auction

Block Definition

Block (bläk)

island in S R.I., at the entrance to Long Island Sound

Etymology: after Adriaen Block, 17th-c. Du navigator who explored it

block Synonyms

block

n.

  1. A mass, usually with flat surfaces

    slab, chunk, piece, square, cake, cube, slice, segment, loaf, clod, bar, ingot, oblong, section, mill end, hunk*; see also brick, slab, stone.

  2. The area between streets

    square, city square, lots, neighborhood; see neighborhood.

  3. The distance of the side of a block, sense 2

    street, city block, intersection; see distance 3.

  4. An obstruction

    hindrance, bar, obstacle; see barrier.

  5. In sports, an obstruction to a move or play

    charge, tackle, check, body check, body block, running block, cross-body block, downfield block, pick (in basketball).

  6. A massive object

    chunk, mass, impediment, solid, cylinder block, slab, base; see also sense 1.

  7. A pulley

    sheave, wheel, hoist, rope-block, chain-block, lift.

  8. A chunk used for chopping

    chopping block, slab, breadboard, cheeseboard, table, butcher block, cutting board.

  9. Place of execution

    headsman's block, guillotine, scaffold, stake, tree, cross, gibbet; see also gallows.

knock someone's block off*

block Synonyms

block

v.

  1. To impede

    obstruct, interfere with, prevent, close off; see bar 1, hinder.

  2. In sports, to impede a play

    throw a block, tackle, charge, check, block out, take out of play.

  3. To shape on or as if on a block

    press, shape, reshape, mold; see form 1. See syn. study at hinder.

block Telecom Definition

A group of bits, often comprising an integral number of bytes, encoded, processed, transmitted, or otherwise treated as a unit. See also bit, byte, and encode.

block Usage Examples

Object

doorway: Considerable repair work has taken place on the south wall, particularly over the blocked doorway.

Converse of object

  • stumble: Internet trade however, has some stumbling blocks to its growth.
  • barrack: I met the Station Commander at the entrance to the barrack block and he was accompanied by the Admin.

Adjective modifier

  • stumbling: There may be problems with step kids, ex spouses or even some religious stumbling blocks for the marriage taking place.
  • concrete: There are these huge concrete blocks, built where the ghetto used to be.
  • stable: The grand stable block was designed by William Legg.

Modifies a noun

  • paving: The modern garden however - together with its block paving, decking and designer ornaments doesn't ordinarily lend itself to a roaring blaze.
  • cipher: Chapter four compares and reviews various existing block ciphers.

Noun used with modifier

  • tower: Housing is mainly tower block apartments around the city center.
  • apartment: Parking Area The apartment block has a secure private parking area below the building.
  • building: Use wooden building blocks to explain the concept of surface area to volume.
  • toilet: Then on Sunday Keith Davis turned his attention to completing the rear wall of the new toilet block from the outside.. .
  • nerve: Your vet may be able to perform temporary nerve blocks to see if an anesthetic can temporarily stop the headshaking.

Possessives

vagrant: A separate vagrants ' block was situated at the south of the workhouse.

Preposition: of

  • flat: I remember being taken, aged 5 or 6 years old, into the garden next door to our block of flats.
  • sandstone: In ' A ' with some yellow sandstone and narrow blocks of red sandstone.

Preposition: from

  • southwest: Celbridge accommodation block from the southwest, 2002 © Peter Higginbotham.
  • northwest: Belper new hospital block from the northwest, 2005. © Peter Higginbotham.
  • southeast: Chester-le-Street main block from the southeast, 2001. © Peter Higginbotham.
  • northeast: Brighton main block from the northeast, 2001. © Peter Higginbotham.