block

1 noun (C)

1 SOLID MASS a solid mass of hard material such as wood or stone with straight sides

(+ of): a block of ice

2 STREET/STREETS

a) AmE the distance along a city street from where one street crosses it to the next: It's three blocks to the store from here. | She lives down the block.

b) the four city streets that form a square around an area of buildings: Let's walk around the block before we go in.

3 LARGE BUILDING a large building divided into separate parts: a block of flats | a tower block | office blocks

4 QUANTITY OF THINGS a quantity of things considered as a single unit

(+ of): a block of shares in a business | Highlight this block of text.

5 block booking/voting an arrangement that is made for a whole group, to buy something or to vote together.

6 UNABLE TO THINK (usually singular) the temporary loss of your normal ability to think, learn, write etc: mental/writer's block: She has a mental block about speaking French.

7 STOPPING MOVEMENT (usually singular) something in a pipe, road etc that stops things moving through or along it

8 the block a solid block of wood on which someone's head was cut off as a punishment, in former times: He was prepared to go to the block for his beliefs.

9 lay/put your head on the block to risk destroying other people's opinion of you by doing or saying something

10 SPORT a movement in sport that stops an opponent going forward

11 INFORMATION a physical unit of stored information on a magnetic tape or disk

12 PRINTING a piece of wood or metal with words or line drawings cut into it, for printing

13 LAND AustrE, NZE a large piece of land: a ten acre block near the city

-see also: block capitals, building block, be a chip off the old block chip 1 (6), I'll knock your block off. knock 1 (4), stumbling block stumble (4) 2 verb (T)

1 also block up to prevent anything moving through a narrow space by placing something across it or in it: Your truck is blocking the road. | My nose is blocked up with this cold.

2 to stop something happening, developing, or succeeding: The Senate blocked publication of the report.

3 also block off to be in front of someone so that they cannot see a view, light, the sun etc: Can you move? You're blocking my light.

4 block sb's way to stand in front of someone, so that they cannot go past: The teacher stood at the entrance, blocking the children's way.

5 technical to limit the use of a particular country's money: a blocked currency