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What does BLOCK mean?

Definitions for BLOCK
blɒkblock

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word BLOCK.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. blocknoun

    a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)

    "the pyramids were built with large stone blocks"

  2. block, city blocknoun

    a rectangular area in a city surrounded by streets and usually containing several buildings

    "he lives in the next block"

  3. block, cubenoun

    a three-dimensional shape with six square or rectangular sides

  4. blocknoun

    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"

  5. blocknoun

    housing in a large building that is divided into separate units

    "there is a block of classrooms in the west wing"

  6. blocknoun

    (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"

  7. block, mental blocknoun

    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"

  8. pulley, pulley-block, pulley block, blocknoun

    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

  9. engine block, cylinder block, blocknoun

    a metal casting containing the cylinders and cooling ducts of an engine

    "the engine had to be replaced because the block was cracked"

  10. blockage, block, closure, occlusion, stop, stoppagenoun

    an obstruction in a pipe or tube

    "we had to call a plumber to clear out the blockage in the drainpipe"

  11. auction block, blocknoun

    a platform from which an auctioneer sells

    "they put their paintings on the block"

  12. blocking, blockverb

    the act of obstructing or deflecting someone's movements

  13. barricade, block, blockade, stop, block off, block up, barverb

    render unsuitable for passage

    "block the way"; "barricade the streets"; "stop the busy road"

  14. obstruct, blockade, block, hinder, stymie, stymy, embarrassverb

    hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of

    "His brother blocked him at every turn"

  15. stop, halt, block, kiboshverb

    stop from happening or developing

    "Block his election"; "Halt the process"

  16. jam, blockverb

    interfere with or prevent the reception of signals

    "Jam the Voice of America"; "block the signals emitted by this station"

  17. blockverb

    run on a block system

    "block trains"

  18. blockverb

    interrupt the normal function of by means of anesthesia

    "block a nerve"; "block a muscle"

  19. obstruct, blockverb

    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"

  20. blockverb

    stamp or emboss a title or design on a book with a block

    "block the book cover"

  21. stuff, lug, choke up, blockverb

    obstruct

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

  22. obstruct, obturate, impede, occlude, jam, block, close upverb

    block passage through

    "obstruct the path"

  23. blockverb

    support, secure, or raise with a block

    "block a plate for printing"; "block the wheels of a car"

  24. parry, block, deflectverb

    impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball)

    "block an attack"

  25. forget, block, blank out, draw a blankverb

    be unable to remember

    "I'm drawing a blank"; "You are blocking the name of your first wife!"

  26. blockverb

    shape by using a block

    "Block a hat"; "block a garment"

  27. blockverb

    shape into a block or blocks

    "block the graphs so one can see the results clearly"

  28. freeze, block, immobilize, immobiliseverb

    prohibit the conversion or use of (assets)

    "Blocked funds"; "Freeze the assets of this hostile government"

Wiktionary

  1. blocknoun

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

  2. blocknoun

    A cuboid of wood, plastic or other material used as a base on which to cut something.

    Anne Boleyn placed her head on the block and awaited her execution.

  3. blocknoun

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

    I'm going for a walk around the block.

  4. blocknoun

    A residential building consisting of flats.

    A block of flats.

  5. blocknoun

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

    The place you are looking for is two long blocks east and one short block north.

  6. blocknoun

    The human head.

    I'll knock your block off.

  7. blocknoun

    A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end.

    A block of 100 tickets.

  8. blocknoun

    Used with ropes or cables to facilitate lifting loads.

  9. blocknoun

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

  10. blockverb

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

    The pipe is blocked.

  11. blockverb

    To prevent (something or someone) from passing.

    You're blocking the road I can't get through.

  12. blockverb

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

    His plan to take over the business was blocked by the boss.

  13. blockverb

    To impede an opponent.

  14. blockverb

    To specify the positions and movements of the actors.

    It was very difficult to block this scene convincingly.

  15. blockverb

    To hit with a block.

  16. blockverb

    To play a block shot.

  17. blockverb

    To disable communication via telephone, instant messaging, etc., with an undesirable someone.

    I tried to message, but you blocked me!

  18. blockverb

    To wait.

    When the condition expression is false, the thread blocks on the condition variable.

  19. blocknoun

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

  20. blocknoun

    A case with one or more sheaves/pulleys, used with ropes to increase or redirect force, for example, as part of the rigging of a sailing ship.

  21. blocknoun

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

  22. blocknoun

    Something that prevents something from passing (see blockage).

    There's a block in the pipe that means the water can't get through.

  23. blocknoun

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

  24. blocknoun

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

  25. blocknoun

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

  26. blocknoun

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

  27. blocknoun

    A section of split logs used as fuel.

  28. blockverb

    to shape or mould [a hat] into the desired shape.

  29. Etymology: From blok, from bloc, of origin, from blok, from *, from bluk(k)an, from bhulg'-, from. Cognate with bloh, bloc, bolca, bǫlkr. More at balk.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. BLOCKnoun

    Etymology: block, Dutch; bloc, Fr.

    ’s apotheosis consists of a groupe of figures, cut in the same block of marble, and rising one above another. Addison.

    Small causes are sufficient to make a man uneasy, when great ones are not in the way: for want of a block, he will stumble at a straw. Jonathan Swift, Thoughts on various Subjects.

    When, by the help of wedges and beetles, an image is cleft out of the trunk of some tree, yet, after all the skill of artificers to set forth such a divine block, it cannot one moment secure itself from being eaten by worms. Edward Stillingfleet.

    He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next block. William Shakespeare, Much ado about Nothing.

    Some guard these traitors to the block of death,
    Treason’s true bed, and yielder up of breath. William Shakespeare, H. IV.

    At the instant of his death, having a long beard, after his head was upon the block, he gently drew his beard aside, and said, this hath not offended the king. Francis Bacon, Apophthegms.

    I’ll drag him thence,
    Even from the holy altar to the block. John Dryden, W. of B.

    Can he ever dream, that the suffering for righteousness sake is our felicity, when he sees us run so from it, that no crime is block enough in our way, to stop our flight? Decay of Piety.

    The country is a desert, where the good
    Gain’d, inhabits not; born’s not understood;
    There men become beasts, and prone to all evils;
    In cities, blocks. John Donne.

    What tongueless blocks were they, would they not speak? William Shakespeare, Richard III.

  2. To Blockverb

    To shut up; to inclose, so as to hinder egress.

    Etymology: bloquer, Fr.

    The states about them should neither by encrease of dominion, nor by blocking of trade, have it in their power to hurt or annoy. Francis Bacon, War with Spain.

    Recommend it to the governour of Abingdon, to send some troops to block it up, from infesting the great road. Edward Hyde.

    They block the castle kept by Bertram;
    But now they cry, down with the palace, fire it. Dryden.

    The abbot raises an army, and blocks up the town on the side that faces his dominions. Joseph Addison, on Italy.

ChatGPT

  1. block

    A block generally refers to a solid, substantial, and often rectangular or cuboid mass or object. It can be made out of various materials, such as wood, stone, or metal, and is typically used for construction, support, or organization purposes. Additionally, in certain contexts, "block" can refer to a specific section or unit within a larger system or structure, or to a hindrance or obstacle that impedes progress or movement.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Blockverb

    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

  2. Blockverb

    the solid piece of wood on which condemned persons lay their necks when they are beheaded

  3. Blockverb

    the wooden mold on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped

  4. Blockverb

    the pattern or shape of a hat

  5. Blockverb

    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

  6. Blockverb

    a square, or portion of a city inclosed by streets, whether occupied by buildings or not

  7. Blockverb

    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

  8. Blockverb

    the perch on which a bird of prey is kept

  9. Blockverb

    any obstruction, or cause of obstruction; a stop; a hindrance; an obstacle; as, a block in the way

  10. Blockverb

    a piece of box or other wood for engravers' work

  11. Blockverb

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

  12. Blockverb

    a blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt

  13. Blockverb

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

  14. Blocknoun

    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

  15. Blocknoun

    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

  16. Blocknoun

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

Wikidata

  1. Block

    In computing, a block is a sequence of bytes or bits, having a nominal length. Data thus structured are said to be blocked. The process of putting data into blocks is called blocking. Blocking is used to facilitate the handling of the data-stream by the computer program receiving the data. Blocked data is normally read a whole block at a time. Blocking is almost universally employed when storing data to 9-track magnetic tape, to rotating media such as floppy disks, hard disks, optical discs and to NAND flash memory. Most file systems are based on a block device, which is a level of abstraction for the hardware responsible for storing and retrieving specified blocks of data, though the block size in file systems may be a multiple of the physical block size. In classical file systems, a single block might contain only a part of a single file. This leads to space inefficiency due to internal fragmentation, since file lengths are often not integer multiples of block size, and thus the last block of files will remain partially empty. This will create slack space, which averages half a block per file. Some newer file systems attempt to solve this through techniques called block suballocation and tail merging.

The New Hacker's Dictionary

  1. block

    [common; from process scheduling terminology in OS theory] 1. vi. To delay or sit idle while waiting for something. “We're blocking until everyone gets here.” Compare busy-wait. 2. block on vt. To block, waiting for (something). “Lunch is blocked on Phil's arrival.”

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. block

    (In mechanics termed a pulley.) Blocks are flattish oval pieces of wood, with sheaves in them, for all the running ropes to run in. They are used for various purposes in a ship, either to increase the mechanical power of the ropes, or to arrange the ends of them in certain places on the deck, that they may be readily found when wanted; they are consequently of various sizes and powers, and obtain various names, according to their form or situation, thus:--A single block contains only one sheave or wheel. A double block has two sheaves. A treble or threefold block, three, and so on. A long-tackle or fiddle-block has two sheaves--one below the other, like a fiddle. Cistern or sister block for top-sail lifts and reef tackles. Every block is composed of three, and generally four, parts:--(1.) The shell, or outside wooden part. (2.) The sheave, or wheel, on which the rope runs. (3.) The pin, or axle, on which the sheave turns. (4.) The strop, or part by which the block is made fast to any particular station, and is usually made either of rope or of iron. Blocks are named and distinguished by the ropes which they carry, and the uses they serve for, as bowlines, braces, clue-lines, halliards, &c. &c. They are either made or morticed (which see).

  2. block

    The large piece of elm out of which the figure is carved at the head of the ship.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. block

    See Implements.

Rap Dictionary

  1. blocknoun

    A neighborhood or city block. G-funk hanging on yo’ block -- 8-Ball Squad {G-funkstar} (DGG Diss)

  2. blocknoun

    A cellblock

  3. blocknoun

    A human head

Editors Contribution

  1. blocknoun

    A black barrel used to present a new scene, situation, or turn of events in fact that has been predicted in the work cited. 1.) the area bounded by four streets in a town or suburbs area.

    She went for a run around the block. Ours is the most beautiful house on the block.

    Etymology: A shape or design.


    Submitted by Tehorah_Elyon on May 1, 2024  

Suggested Resources

  1. block

    Song lyrics by block -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by block on the Lyrics.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. BLOCK

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Block is ranked #1658 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Block surname appeared 21,717 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 would have the surname Block.

    90.6% or 19,695 total occurrences were White.
    4.1% or 901 total occurrences were Black.
    2.3% or 517 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.6% or 367 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.7% or 165 total occurrences were Asian.
    0.3% or 72 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'BLOCK' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2907

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'BLOCK' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2326

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'BLOCK' in Nouns Frequency: #814

  4. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'BLOCK' in Verbs Frequency: #607

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce BLOCK?

How to say BLOCK in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of BLOCK in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of BLOCK in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of BLOCK in a Sentence

  1. Jack Dorsey:

    We built the Square brand for our Seller business, which is where it belongs, block is a new name, but our purpose of economic empowerment remains the same.

  2. Tyrese Maxey:

    I was thinking either he’s going to dunk on me, or I’m going to get this block, it’s one of those you have to put your body on the line.

  3. Superior Court Judge Maryann D'Addezio:

    Mr. Millete, you must not harass, strike, threaten, assault, follow,stalk, molest, destroy or damage critical or real property, disturb theirpeace, keep them under surveillance or block their movements.

  4. Susan Chairvolotti:

    They reproduced quickly, and we believe there could be as many as 50 rabbits, including many pregnant females, living in a three block radius.

  5. David Mabey:

    Little crystals get into your lymphatic system. ... After many years, they block it so the lymph can't draw back and your foot swells up.

more sentences »

Popularity rank by frequency of use

BLOCK#1#1662#10000

References

Translations for BLOCK

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • منعArabic
  • пречка, задръстване, пън, каре, блок, блокирам, препречвам, блокче, скицник, цепеница, дръвник, квартал, преграждам, пресечка, препятствамBulgarian
  • blocar, bloquejar, illa, cub, bloc, bloqueigCatalan, Valencian
  • blokCzech
  • karre, spærre, blokereDanish
  • Verstopfung, Häuserblock, Block, blockieren, abblocken, Klotz, verstopfenGerman
  • manzana, cuadra, bloquear, block, obstruir, atorar, bloque, impedirSpanish
  • بلوکPersian
  • tukkia, kortteli, ehkäistä, polla, vihko, pylpyrä, torjunta, este, ploki, kimpale, saarto, möhkäle, lohkare, järkäle, pölkky, estää, asuintalo, korttelinväli, nuppi, blokkaus, tukos, neliö, sulku, halko, murikkaFinnish
  • húsablokkur, húsasamstøða, húsaleingjaFaroese
  • blocage, immeuble, rue, boucher, tronche, bloc, billot, pâté de maison, tête, bloquer, contrer, ciboulot, obstructionFrench
  • ceap, sgonnScottish Gaelic
  • גוש, חסם, מחסום, חסימה, סתם, סינןHebrew
  • रोकनाHindi
  • verricello, ingorgo, blocco, cubo, isolato, bloccare, quartina, bozzello, ceppo, blocchetto, stoppareItalian
  • The English word "block" can be translated to Japanese as "ブロック" (burokku) when referring to a physical block such as a building block. If you mean it in a different context, please provide more details so I can offer a more accurate translation!Japanese
  • ម្ដុំ, ប្លុកKhmer
  • گه‌ڕه‌کKurdish
  • айыл, тос, квартал, маалеKyrgyz
  • claudōLatin
  • bloķētLatvian
  • poraka, tāngutu, tūporoMāori
  • တုံးBurmese
  • blok, kop, versperren, verstopping, verhinderen, verstoppen, blokkeren, tegenhoudenDutch
  • blokkNorwegian
  • blokować, blokPolish
  • impedir, obstruir, bloco, quadra, bloqueio, resma, entupir, bloquearPortuguese
  • блок, чурба́н, преграда, блокировать, коло́да, кварта́лRussian
  • zapreka, blok, četvrt, notes, zaprjeka, blokada, klada, blokirati, glava, risankaSerbo-Croatian
  • kvarter, blockera, förhindra, knopp, block, kloss, hinder, huggkubbe, skalle, blockering, stopp, kubbeSwedish
  • 塊Chinese

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