block

[Block]

A block is a painted wooden cube that kids build with, or a squarish chunk of anything, like a block of cheese or cement. And if you block someone, you prevent them from going past by getting in the way.

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A piece of wood more or less bulky; a solid mass of wood, stone, etc., usually with one or more plane, or approximately plane, faces; as, a block on which a butcher chops his meat; a block by which to mount a horse; children's playing blocks, etc.

Noun
(American football) the act of obstructing someone''s path with your body; "he threw a rolling block into the line backer"

Noun
a platform from which an auctioneer sells; "they put their paintings on the block"

Noun
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides); "the pyramids were built with large stone blocks"

Noun
housing in a large building that is divided into separate units; "there is a block of classrooms in the west wing"

Noun
an obstruction in a pipe or tube; "we had to call a plumber to clear out the blockage in the drainpipe"

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Noun
a metal casting containing the cylinders and cooling ducts of an engine; "the engine had to be replaced because the block was cracked"

Noun
a simple machine consisting of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope

Noun
an inability to remember or think of something you normally can do; often caused by emotional tension; "I knew his name perfectly well but I had a temporary block"

Noun
a number or quantity of related things dealt with as a unit; "he reserved a large block of seats"; "he held a large block of the company''s stock"

Noun
a rectangular area in a city surrounded by streets and usually containing several buildings; "he lives in the next block"

Noun
(computer science) a sector or group of sectors that function as the smallest data unit permitted; "since blocks are often defined as a single sector, the terms `block'' and `sector'' are sometimes used interchangeably"

Noun
a three-dimensional shape with six square or rectangular sides

Verb
prohibit the conversion or use of (assets); "Blocked funds"; "Freeze the assets of this hostile government"

Verb
shape into a block or blocks; "block the graphs so one can see the results clearly"

Verb
shape by using a block; "Block a hat"; "block a garment"

Verb
be unable to remember; "I''m drawing a blank"; "You are blocking the name of your first wife!"

Verb
interfere with or prevent the reception of signals; "Jam the Voice of America"; "block the signals emitted by this station"

Verb
impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball); "block an attack"

Verb
support, secure, or raise with a block; "block a plate for printing"; "block the wheels of a car"

Verb
block passage through; "obstruct the path"

Verb
render unsuitable for passage; "block the way"; "barricade the streets"; "stop the busy road"

Verb
obstruct; "My nose is all stuffed"; "Her arteries are blocked"

Verb
stamp or emboss a title or design on a book with a block; "block the book cover"

Verb
shut out from view or get in the way so as to hide from sight; "The thick curtain blocked the action on the stage"; "The trees obstruct my view of the mountains"

Verb
interrupt the normal function of by means of anesthesia; "block a nerve"; "block a muscle"

Verb
run on a block system; "block trains"

Verb
hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of; "His brother blocked him at every turn"

Verb
stop from happening or developing; "Block his election"; "Halt the process"


v. t.
A piece of wood more or less bulky; a solid mass of wood, stone, etc., usually with one or more plane, or approximately plane, faces; as, a block on which a butcher chops his meat; a block by which to mount a horse; children's playing blocks, etc.

v. t.
The solid piece of wood on which condemned persons lay their necks when they are beheaded.

v. t.
The wooden mold on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped.

v. t.
The pattern or shape of a hat.

v. t.
A large or long building divided into separate houses or shops, or a number of houses or shops built in contact with each other so as to form one building; a row of houses or shops.

v. t.
A square, or portion of a city inclosed by streets, whether occupied by buildings or not.

v. t.
A grooved pulley or sheave incased in a frame or shell which is provided with a hook, eye, or strap, by which it may be attached to an object. It is used to change the direction of motion, as in raising a heavy object that can not be conveniently reached, and also, when two or more such sheaves are compounded, to change the rate of motion, or to exert increased force; -- used especially in the rigging of ships, and in tackles.

v. t.
The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.

v. t.
Any obstruction, or cause of obstruction; a stop; a hindrance; an obstacle; as, a block in the way.

v. t.
A piece of box or other wood for engravers' work.

v. t.
A piece of hard wood (as mahogany or cherry) on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted to make it type high.

v. t.
A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt.

v. t.
A section of a railroad where the block system is used. See Block system, below.

n.
To obstruct so as to prevent passage or progress; to prevent passage from, through, or into, by obstructing the way; -- used both of persons and things; -- often followed by up; as, to block up a road or harbor.

n.
To secure or support by means of blocks; to secure, as two boards at their angles of intersection, by pieces of wood glued to each.

n.
To shape on, or stamp with, a block; as, to block a hat.


Block

Block , n. [OE. blok; cf. F. bloc (fr. OHG.), D. & Dan. blok, Sw. & G. block, OHG. bloch. There is also an OHG. bloch, biloh; bi by + the same root as that of E. lock. Cf. Block, v. t., Blockade, and see Lock.] 1. A piece of wood more or less bulky; a solid mass of wood, stone, etc., usually with one or more plane, or approximately plane, faces; as, a block on which a butcher chops his meat; a block by which to mount a horse; children's playing blocks, etc.
Now all our neighbors' chimneys smoke, And Christmas blocks are burning.
All her labor was but as a block Left in the quarry.
2. The solid piece of wood on which condemned persons lay their necks when they are beheaded.
Noble heads which have been brought to the block.
3. The wooden mold on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped. Hence: The pattern on shape of a hat.
He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next block.
4. A large or long building divided into separate houses or shops, or a number of houses or shops built in contact with each other so as to form one building; a row of houses or shops. 5. A square, or portion of a city inclosed by streets, whether occupied by buildings or not.
The new city was laid out in rectangular blocks, each block containing thirty building lots. Such an average block, comprising 282 houses and covering nine acres of ground, exists in Oxford Street.
6. A grooved pulley or sheave incased in a frame or shell which is provided with a hook, eye, or strap, by which it may be attached to an object. It is used to change the direction of motion, as in raising a heavy object that can not be conveniently reached, and also, when two or more such sheaves are compounded, to change the rate of motion, or to exert increased force; -- used especially in the rigging of ships, and in tackles. 7. (Falconry) The perch on which a bird of prey is kept. 8. Any obstruction, or cause of obstruction; a stop; a hindrance; an obstacle; as, a block in the way. 9. A piece of box or other wood for engravers' work. 10. (Print.) A piece of hard wood (as mahogany or cherry) on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted to make it type high. 11. A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt. [Obs.]
What a block art thou !
12. A section of a railroad where the block system is used. See Block system, below. A block of shares (Stock Exchange), a large number of shares in a stock company, sold in a lump. Bartlett. -- Block printing. (a) A mode of printing (common in China and Japan) from engraved boards by means of a sheet of paper laid on the linked surface and rubbed with a brush. S. W. Williams. (b) A method of printing cotton cloth and paper hangings with colors, by pressing them upon an engraved surface coated with coloring matter. -- Block system on railways, a system by which the track is divided into sections of three or four miles, and trains are so run by the guidance of electric signals that no train enters a section or block before the preceding train has left it.

Block

Block , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blocked ; p. pr. & vb. n. Blocking.] [Cf. F. bloquer, fr. bloc block. See Block, n.] 1. To obstruct so as to prevent passage or progress; to prevent passage from, through, or into, by obstructing the way; -- used both of persons and things; -- often followed by up; as, to block up a road or harbor.
With moles . . . would block the port.
A city . . . besieged and blocked about.
2. To secure or support by means of blocks; to secure, as two boards at their angles of intersection, by pieces of wood glued to each. 3. To shape on, or stamp with, a block; as, to block a hat. To block out, to begin to reduce to shape; to mark out roughly; to lay out; as, to block out a plan.

A piece of wood more or less bulky; a solid mass of wood, stone, etc., usually with one or more plane, or approximately plane, faces; as, a block on which a butcher chops his meat; a block by which to mount a horse; children's playing blocks, etc.

To obstruct so as to prevent passage or progress; to prevent passage from, through, or into, by obstructing the way; -- used both of persons and things; -- often followed by up; as, to block up a road or harbor.

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Usage Examples

I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don't need.

Anyone who relishes art should love the extraordinary diversity and psychic magic of our art galleries. There's likely more combined square footage for the showing of art on one New York block - West 24th Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues - than in all of Amsterdam's or Hamburg's galleries.

I think we all have blocks between us and the best version of ourselves, whether it's shyness, insecurity, anxiety, whether it's a physical block, and the story of a person overcoming that block to their best self. It's truly inspiring because I think all of us are engaged in that every day.

I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, north Beverly. It was cool, everybody's cool on the block.

My father was the guy on the block who said hi to everyone.

In just six weeks from the time the design was started, we had the motor on the block testing its power.

Governments that block the aspirations of their people, that steal or are corrupt, that oppress and torture or that deny freedom of expression and human rights should bear in mind that they will find it increasingly hard to escape the judgement of their own people, or where warranted, the reach of international law.

Since the dawn of time, traditional marriage - the union between one man and one woman - has been the building block of civilization, and at no point in our nation's history has that foundation been under more severe attack than now.

Most of the time I liked school and got good grades. In junior high, though, I hit a stumbling block with math - I used to come home and cry because of how frustrated I was! But after a few good teachers and a lot of perseverance, I ended up loving math and even choosing it as a major when I got to college.

Misspelled Form

block, vblock, gblock, hblock, nblock, block, vlock, glock, hlock, nlock, lock, bvlock, bglock, bhlock, bnlock, b lock, bklock, bolock, bplock, b:lock, bkock, boock, bpock, b:ock, blkock, bloock, blpock, bl:ock, bliock, bl9ock, bl0ock, blpock, bllock, blick, bl9ck, bl0ck, blpck, bllck, bloick, blo9ck, blo0ck, blopck, blolck, bloxck, blodck, blofck, blovck, blo ck, bloxk, blodk, blofk, blovk, blo k, blocxk, blocdk, blocfk, blocvk, bloc k, blocjk, blocik, blocok, bloclk, blocmk, blocj, bloci, bloco, blocl, blocm, blockj, blocki, blocko, blockl, blockm.

Other Usage Examples

It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home.

It is the eye of ignorance that assigns a fixed and unchangeable color to every object beware of this stumbling block.

It's impossible to walk a block in Miami, in Los Angeles, San Antonio without running into someone who is being deeply impacted by a broken legal immigration system.

All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today.

Marriage is all about knowing the ins and outs and the intimate details, and your wife is supposed to be the person you know best. But my brother and I think alike, know everything about one another, and when we get together, we block everything else out. Nothing exists in our world except for us.

If you're so pro-life, do me a favour: don't lock arms and block medical clinics. If you're so pro-life, lock arms and block cemeteries.

In this time of budget cuts, we cannot forget that basic science is a building block for scientific innovation and economic growth in the information age.

If we attempt to block the development of new technology, we effectively have ensured that the most responsible parties will not develop them.

Hatred is corrosive of a person's wisdom and conscience the mentality of enmity can poison a nation's spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society's tolerance and humanity, and block a nation's progress to freedom and democracy.

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