blocka solid piece of hard material; an obstruction: block the streetNot to be confused with:bloc ? coalition of groups with the same purpose: a bloc of votesAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreeblock (bl?k)n.1. a. A solid piece of a hard substance, such as wood, having one or more flat sides.b. Such a piece used as a construction member or as a support.c. Such a piece upon which chopping or cutting is done: a butcher’s block.d. Such a piece upon which persons are beheaded.e. One of a set of small wooden or plastic pieces, such as a cube, bar, or cylinder, used as a building toy.f. Printing A large amount of text.g. Sports A starting block.2. A stand from which articles are displayed and sold at an auction: Many priceless antiques went on the block.3. A mold or form on which an item is shaped or displayed: a hat block.4. A substance, such as wood or stone, that has been prepared for engraving.5. a. A pulley or a system of pulleys set in a casing.b. An engine block.6. A bloc.7. A set of like items, such as shares of stock, sold or handled as a unit.8. A group of four or more unseparated postage stamps forming a rectangle.9. Canadian A group of townships in an unsurveyed area.10. a. A usually rectangular section of a city or town bounded on each side by consecutive streets.b. A segment of a street bounded by consecutive cross streets and including its buildings and inhabitants.11. A large building divided into separate units, such as apartments.12. A length of railroad track controlled by signals.13. Something that obstructs; an obstacle: The disabled car formed a block in traffic.14. The act of preventing someone or something from advancing, passing, or progressing, as:a. Sports An act of bodily obstruction, as of a player or the ball.b. Football An act of legally using one’s body to obstruct or move a defensive player so that a player in possession of the ball may advance downfield, pass, or otherwise execute an offensive play.15. Medicine Interruption or obstruction of a physiological function: nerve block.16. Psychology A sudden cessation of speech or a thought process without an immediate observable cause, sometimes considered a consequence of repression. Also called mental block.17. Slang The human head: threatened to knock my block off.v. blocked, block·ing, blocks v.tr.1. a. To stop or impede the passage of or movement through; obstruct: block traffic; mud that blocked the pipe.b. To prevent from happening, succeeding, or progressing: blocked every attempt to reform the rules.c. To shut out from view: a curtain blocking the stage.d. To stop the passage of (a motion or bill) in a legislative assembly.e. Sports To prevent or slow the movement of (an opponent) by using one’s body, as by making a block in football.f. Sports To stop or deflect (a ball or puck) by using one’s body.g. Medicine To interrupt or obstruct the functioning of (a physiological process), especially by the use of drugs.h. Psychology To fail to remember.2. To support, strengthen, or retain in place by means of a block.3. To shape, mold, or form with or on a block: block a hat.4. To indicate broadly without great detail; sketch. Often used with out: block out a plan of action; block out stage movements.5. To run (trains) on a block system.v.intr.1. Sports a. To obstruct the movement of an opponent by using one’s body.b. To stop or deflect a ball or puck by using one’s body.2. To suffer a mental block. Often used with on: I blocked on his name.Phrasal Verb: block out1. To cover over so as to be illegible: block out sensitive information from a document before releasing it.2. To repress (a traumatic event, for example) from conscious memory.Idioms: go on the block To be offered for sale. out of the blocks From a starting position, as in a race or contest: The company has in the past been slow out of the blocks to adapt to consumer tastes. put on the block To offer for sale.[Middle English blok, from Old French bloc, from Middle Dutch.]block?er n.Synonyms: block, hide1, obscure, obstruct, screen, shroud These verbs mean to cut off from sight: a tree that blocked the view; a road hidden by brush; mist that obscured the mountain peak; skyscrapers obstructing the sky; a fence that screens the alley; a face shrouded by a heavy veil.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.block (bl?k) n1. (Building) a large solid piece of wood, stone, or other material with flat rectangular sides, as for use in building2. any large solid piece of wood, stone, etc, usually having at least one face fairly flat3. such a piece on which particular tasks may be done, as chopping, cutting, or beheading4. Also called: building block one of a set of wooden or plastic cubes as a child’s toy5. 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 slang Austral and NZ to become angry8. a dull, unemotional, or hardhearted person9. (Civil Engineering) a large building of offices, flats, etc10. (Civil Engineering) a. a group of buildings in a city bounded by intersecting streets on each sideb. the area or distance between such intersecting streets11. Austral and NZ an area of land for a house, farm, etc12. Austral and NZ a log, usually a willow, fastened to a timber base and used in a wood-chopping competition13. (Sociology) an area of land, esp one to be divided for building or settling14. (Automotive Engineering) See cylinder block15. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) 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, etcb. Brit a letterpress printing plate, esp one mounted type-high on wood or metal16. (Mechanical Engineering) a casing housing one or more freely rotating pulleys. See also block and tackle17. (Commerce) on the block chiefly US and Canadian up for auction18. the act of obstructing or condition of being obstructed, as in sports19. an obstruction or hindrance20. (Pathology) pathol a. interference in the normal physiological functioning of an organ or partb. See heart blockc. See nerve block21. (Psychology) psychol a short interruption of perceptual or thought processes22. obstruction of an opponent in a sport23. (Commerce) a. a section or quantity, as of tickets or shares, handled or considered as a single unitb. (as modifier): a block booking; block voting. 24. (Railways) a. a stretch of railway in which only one train may travel at a timeb. (as modifier): a block signal. 25. (Philately) an unseparated group of four or more postage stamps. Compare strip1326. a pad of paper27. (Computer Science) computing a group of words treated as a unit of data on a tape, disk, etc28. (Athletics (Track & Field)) athletics short for starting block29. (Cricket) cricket a mark made near the popping crease by a batsman to indicate his position in relation to the wicket30. a chip off the old block informal a person who resembles one of his or her parents in behaviourvb (mainly tr) 31. to shape or form (something) into a block32. (General Engineering) to fit with or mount on a block33. (Crafts) 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 or flow 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)36. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) to stamp (a title, design, etc) on (a book cover, etc) by means of a block (see sense 12), esp using gold leaf or other foil37. (Economics) (esp of a government or central bank) to limit the use or conversion of assets or currency38. (also intr) sport to obstruct or impede movement by (an opponent)39. (Psychology) (intr) to suffer a psychological block40. (Physiology) to interrupt a physiological function, as by use of an anaesthetic41. (Cricket) (also intr) cricket to play (a ball) defensively[C14: from Old French bloc, from Dutch blok; related to Old High German bloh] ?blocker nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014block (bl?k) n. 1. a solid mass of wood, stone, etc., usu. with one or more flat or approximately flat faces. 2. a hollow masonry building unit of cement, terra cotta, etc. 3. one of a set of cube-shaped pieces used as a child’s toy in building. 4. a mold or piece on which something is shaped or kept in shape. 5. a piece of wood used in the art of making woodcuts or wood engravings. 6. a stump or other structure on which a condemned person is beheaded. 7. a platform for an auctioneer. 8. cylinder block. 9. a part enclosing one or more freely rotating, grooved pulleys, about which ropes or chains pass to form a hoisting or hauling tackle. 10. an obstacle, obstruction, or hindrance. 11. a stoppage in or difficulty in proceeding with mental processes, speech, or writing: a mental block; writer’s block. 12. heart block. 13. Sports. a hindering of an opponent or an opponent’s play. 14. a quantity, portion, or section taken as a unit or dealt with at one time: a block of theater tickets. 15. a small section of a city, town, etc., enclosed by neighboring and intersecting streets. 16. the length of one side of such a section: to walk two blocks. 17. a large building divided into separate apartments, offices, shops, etc. 18. a group of computer data stored and processed as a unit. 19. the base on which a printing plate is mounted to make it type-high. 20. any of the short lengths into which a railroad track is divided for signaling purposes. 21. a group of four or more unseparated stamps not in a strip. 22. Slang a person’s head. v.t. 23. to obstruct by placing obstacles in the way: to block one’s exit. 24. to fit with blocks; mount on a block. 25. to shape or prepare on or as if on a block: to block a sweater. 26. to plot stage movements of or for (often followed by out). 27. to mark off (a portion of text or data) for moving, deleting, printing, etc., as in word processing. 28. to stop the passage of impulses in (a nerve). 29. Sports. a. to obstruct or impede (an opposing player) by physical contact. b. to deflect (an opponent’s pass, kick, or shot) during play. v.i. 30. Sports. to obstruct an opposing player physically or deflect an opponent’s pass, kick, or shot. 31. to block a play, performer, scene, stage, etc. 32. to suffer a block. Idioms: on the block, for sale at auction. [1275?1325; Middle English blok log, stump (