block

SayBLOK/blɑk/UK/blɒk/

Pluralblocks

Verbblocks, blocking, blocked

48 meanings of block

Practice

1
nouncountable
A large, solid piece of something such as wood or stone, often shaped like a box.
She bought a big block of cheese at the store.
The kids built a tall tower out of wooden blocks.
UsageSay a block of ice or wood.
Similarchunk, slab, lump, piece
Note
2
nouncountable
A group of buildings with streets on all four sides, or the distance from one street to the next.
Walk one block, then turn left at the light.
The school is only two blocks from our house.
UsageSay two blocks away or around the block.
Note
3
verbtransitive
To be in the way, or fill a path or pipe, so that people or things cannot get through.
Thick curtains block the morning light.
A tall fence blocked the wind from the garden.
UsageSay block the way or block the view.
4
prevent actionverbtransitive
To stop something from happening, or stop someone from doing something.
Nothing can block her from chasing her dream.
The city blocked the plan to build a parking lot in the park.
UsageSay block someone from doing something.
Similarprevent, stop, bar, thwart, prohibit
Oppositeallow, permit
5
nouncountable
A group of similar things that are kept or used together as one unit.
Like a six-pack of drinks: many things carried and sold as one.
The teacher set aside a block of time for reading every morning.
We bought a block of ten tickets for the whole family.
UsageSay a block of seats or a block of time.
Similarset, batch, slot, chunk
Note
6
verbtransitive
To stop someone from calling, messaging, or seeing you on a phone or online.
I blocked him, so he can't message me anymore.
You can block a caller in your phone settings.
UsageYou can block someone on your phone, and later unblock them.
Similarbar, reject, stop
Oppositeallow, permit, accept
7
verbtransitive
In sports, to get in the way of another player to stop their move.
Like standing in a doorway so no one can walk through.
She blocked the tall forward so he couldn't reach the goal.
You must block the player in front of you on every play.
UsageSay block a player or block a shot.
Similarimpede, obstruct
Note
8
nouncountable
In sports, a move that stops another player or stops the ball from getting through.
Her block knocked the basketball away just before it reached the hoop.
The goalie made a great block in the final second of the game.
UsageSay make a block.
Similardeflection, stop
Note
9
mental barriernouncountable
A feeling that your mind is stuck and you cannot think, remember, or create.
Like a wall inside your head that your ideas cannot get past.
I had a block during the test and forgot every answer I had studied.
The writer stared at the empty page, fighting a block that had lasted weeks.
UsageSay writer's block or a mental block.
Similarbarrier, obstruction, blockage
10
apartment buildingnouncountable
A large building shaped like a box, often full of apartments or offices.
Like a giant box standing on the street, with rooms and windows inside.
They live on the ninth floor of a tall apartment block.
The school is one long gray block with rows of small windows.
UsageSay a block of flats or an office block.
Similarbuilding
Note
11
obstaclenouncountable
Anything that stands in the way and stops things from getting through.
The fallen branch made a block in the middle of the path.
Workers cleared the block in the pipe so the water could flow again.
Similarbarrier, obstruction, blockage
12
nouncountable
An area or section of something, often with a square or box-like shape.
Color one block of the page blue and leave the rest white.
The farmer planted a block of corn next to the road.
Similarpatch, tract, area, section

Less common meanings

13
access bannouncountable
A setting or rule that stops someone from using an account, website, or phone number.
Like a locked door that keeps one certain visitor out.
After the block, he could not send her any more messages.
The app put a block on calls from unknown numbers.
UsageSay put a block on someone's number.
Similarban
14
chopping basenouncountable
A heavy piece of wood with a flat top, used as a base for chopping.
The cook cut the chicken on a thick wooden block.
Grandpa split logs on the old block behind the barn.
Note
15
go blankverbintransitive
To suddenly be unable to think of ideas or remember what you wanted to say.
Like a traffic jam in your head: the ideas are there, but nothing moves.
I blocked in the middle of my speech and forgot every word.
I always block on names when I meet new people.
UsageSay a writer blocks, or blocks on something.
Similarfreeze, blank
Note
16
position actorsverbtransitive
To plan exactly where actors will stand and move during a scene.
Like drawing a map that shows every player where to stand and move.
The director blocked the first scene before the actors learned their lines.
We will block the dance scene tomorrow afternoon.
Similarchoreograph, stage
Note
17
prison sectionnouncountable
A part of a prison where prisoners' rooms, called cells, are grouped together.
The guards locked down the whole block after the fight.
He spent two years in the same block as his cousin.
Similarwing, cellblock
18
pulley casenouncountable
A hard case that holds one or more small wheels for a rope to run through, used to lift heavy things.
It works like the wheel at the top of a flagpole that the rope runs over.
The sailors pulled the rope through a block to raise the heavy sail.
Dad used a block and a rope to lift the engine out of the car.
Similarpulley
19
paper padnouncountable
A set of paper sheets glued or joined together at one edge.
She tore a sheet from the block and wrote down the address.
He keeps a small block of paper next to the phone.
Similarpad
20
headnounslangcountable
A slang word for a person's head, often heard in playful threats.
Do that one more time and I'll knock your block off!
He said he'd knock my block off if I touched his bike.
UsageMostly in I'll knock your block off, a joking threat.
Similarhead, skull, noggin, nut, dome
21
rough outlineverbtransitive
To draw or shape something in a rough, simple way before adding detail.
Like building the frame of a house before adding the walls and paint.
The artist blocked out the main shapes before adding any detail.
Block out your essay plan first, then write the full sentences.
UsageSay block out a plan.
Similarsketch, outline, rough
22
shape (knitting)verbtransitive
To stretch a knitted item or a hat into the shape you want, often after wetting it.
Like flattening a curled poster by pressing it under heavy books overnight.
After you finish the sweater, block it so the edges lie flat.
Grandma blocked the wool hat on a round form overnight.
Similarshape, mold
Note
23
noun
A group of lines in a computer program that work together as one unit.
24
noun
A fixed-size piece of storage space on a computer disk or drive.
25
noun
A solid form shaped like a head, used to give a hat its shape.
26
noun
A head-shaped stand that a wig is kept or styled on.
27
noundated
A wooden piece that holds a metal printing plate in place.
28
noun
The post where a trained hawk or falcon sits.
29
noun
In the Game of Life, a square of four cells that never changes.
30
noun
A square group of stamps still joined together, usually four.
31
noun
One section of a vineyard where the vines are grown and treated the same way.
32
noun
A piece of a message with a set number of bits, handled as one unit.
33
noun
A part of a long molecule that is different from the parts beside it.
34
noun
A stretch of railroad where signals control when trains may enter.
35
noun
A group of Unicode codes kept together for one kind of character.
36
noun
One of the classes of boys, sorted by age, at the English school Eton.
37
noun
In backgammon, a space with two or more of your pieces, so the other player cannot land there.
38
noun
In cricket, a careful shot that just stops the ball so it drops down.
39
noun
In cricket, the way a batter stands with the bat to protect the stumps.
40
noun
In cricket, the spot where the batter rests the bat before a ball.
41
noun
In cricket, the line in front of the stumps that marks where the batter is safe.
42
noun
In gymnastics, the quick push off the vaulting table with the hands.
43
nounUK
Being kept alone in a prison cell, away from other prisoners.
44
nounobsolete
Someone who is very slow to understand things.
What a block art thou!
c. 1590, William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”
45
verb
In cricket, to stop the ball by holding the bat still.
46
verb
In cricket, to play a careful shot that stops the ball.
47
verb
In computing, to stop and wait until something needed is ready.
48
verbobsolete
To shove someone's hat down so it covers their eyes.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of block apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From an old word meaning "log" or "tree trunk", coming through Middle English and Old French from Dutch and older Germanic roots.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

Block derives from a word meaning log or tree trunk, transmitted through Middle English and Old French from Dutch and earlier Germanic forms. en.wiktionary.org