block

noun

A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.

A chopping block: a cuboid base for cutting or beheading.

A wig block: a simplified head model upon which wigs are worn.

A mould on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped.

A case or frame housing one or more sheaves (pulleys), used with ropes to increase or redirect force, for example as part of lifting gear or a sailing ship's rigging. See also block and tackle.

A section of split logs used as fuel.

A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end, forming a cuboid shape.

(falconry) The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.

(cellular automata) In Conway's Game of Life, a still life consisting of four living cells arranged in a two-by-two square.

A physical area or extent of something, often rectangular or approximately rectangular.

(philately) A joined group of four (or in some cases nine) postage stamps, forming a roughly square shape.

(viticulture) A discrete group of vines in a vineyard, often distinguished from others by variety, clone, canopy training method, irrigation infrastructure, or some combination thereof.

A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.

(computing) A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors.

(programming) A region of code in a program that acts as a single unit, such as a function or loop.

(cryptography) A fixed-length group of bits making up part of a message.

(chemistry) A portion of a macromolecule, comprising many units, that has at least one feature not present in adjacent portions.

(rail transport) A section of a railroad where the block system is used.

(computing) A contiguous range of Unicode code points used to encode characters of a specific type; can be of any size evenly divisible by 16, up to 65,536 (a full plane).

(education) A yeargroup at Eton College.

A contiguous group of urban lots of property, typically several acres in extent, not crossed by public streets.

The distance from one street to another in a city or suburb that is built (approximately) to a grid pattern.

A cuboid or approximately cuboid building.

A cellblock.

Something that prevents something from passing.

Interference or obstruction of cognitive processes.

(backgammon) Any point on the board where two or more men rest, and consequently an opponent may not land.

(sports) An action to interfere with the movement of an opposing player or of the object of play (ball, puck).

(cricket) A shot played by holding the bat vertically in the path of the ball, so that it loses momentum and drops to the ground.

(cricket) The position of a player or bat when guarding the wicket.

(cricket) A blockhole.

(cricket) The popping crease.

(volleyball) A defensive play by one or more players meant to deflect a spiked ball back to the hitter’s court.

(gymnastics) The portion of the movement where a gymnast pushes off the vault.

(computing, social media) A temporary or permanent ban that prevents access to an online account or service, or connection to or from a designated telephone number, IP address, or similar.

(slang) The human head.

(UK) Solitary confinement.

A surname.

A surname from the Germanic languages

A surname from German

A surname from Dutch

An English surname

A Jewish surname

An unincorporated community in Champaign County, Illinois, United States.

An unincorporated community in Miami County, Kansas, United States.

An unincorporated community in Campbell County, Tennessee, United States.

Misspelling of bloc. [A group of voters or politicians who share common goals.]

(printing, dated) A piece of hard wood on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted.

(obsolete) A blockhead; a stupid person; a dolt.

verb

(transitive) To fill or obstruct (something) so that it is not possible to pass.

(transitive) To prevent (something or someone) from passing.

(transitive) To prevent (something from happening or someone from doing something).

(transitive, sports) To impede (an opponent or opponent’s play).

(transitive, theater) To specify the positions and movements of the actors for (a section of a play or film).

(transitive, cricket) To hit with a block.

(intransitive, cricket) To play a block shot.

(transitive) To bar (impose a ban on a person or bot, etc.) from connecting via telephone, instant messaging, etc., or from accessing an online account or service, or similar.

(transitive) To bar (a message or communication), or bar connection with (an online account or service, a designated telephone number, IP address, etc.).

(programming, intransitive) To wait for some condition to become true.

(transitive) To stretch or mould (a knitted item, a hat, etc.) into the desired shape.

(transitive) To shape or sketch out roughly.

(intransitive) To experience mental block or creative block.

(transitive, slang, obsolete) To knock the hat of (a person) down over their eyes.

Roots

blocblock- · Old French · log, block

Synonyms for block

blockagen obstructv barricaden blockaden stymiev impedev parryv occludev hinderv stopv haltn cuben stoppagen roadblockn jamn chockn freezen clogv

Synonyms & related words for block

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of block — including blockage, obstruct, barricade, blockade, stymie, impede. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to block

Explore words related to block — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include oppilate, obturate, superblock, bloc, unblocked, unreeve, kibosh, street. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for block

Common synonyms for block include blockage, obstruct, barricade, blockade, stymie, impede, parry, occlude — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does block come from?

The word block breaks down into one root of Old French origin: the root block, from Old French bloc (“log, block”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.