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block

block

15 6.8
A wheel with a groove that a rope runs through
  • noun
  • /blɑk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polea
  • The construction workers installed a block in the pulley system to lift heavy materials.
  • fixed block
  • a larger block

Examples

  • The sailor used a block to change the direction of the rope while hoisting the sail.

  • In the workshop, we need a block for the pulley to secure the load properly.

  • I mean, that block and tackle was in the back.

  • You gotta pull this around and hook it up to the block, okay?

  • Take this strap off the block for me, will you?

  • When that block reaches midway, you cut the line!

  • Hold on to your clews and blocks.

  • Think of the ancient engineers designing block and tackle systems or building an aqueduct.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Do you trust we've provided you with enough slack so your block will land safely on the lawn?

  • The cloth drops to reveal a bas-relief in brass set in a block of smooth limestone.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

pulley
vsblock
  • Specialized
23 3.4

A wheel with a groove that a rope moves on to lift things or change the direction of a pull

is the same wheel part but seen mainly as a component in multiwheel setups
pulley block
vsblock
  • Specialized
4.2

A wheel with a groove for a rope that helps lift or move heavy things

is the wheel component used inside multiwheel rope systems
pulley-block
vsblock
  • Specialized
7.3

A wheel with a groove that a rope runs in to lift things or change the rope's direction

is the wheel component within larger rope systems rather than the whole apparatus
snatch block
vsblock
  • Specialized
9.3

A pulley that opens so you can place a rope inside without passing the end through

is the basic grooved wheel device that normally lacks that opening
bullock block
vsblock
  • Archaic
9.9

A small wheel used with a rope to help raise sails at the top of a ship's mast

is a general grooved wheel device used across many lifting or rigging tasks

Idioms

8 3.7

A person or thing new to a group that others do not know yet

7 4.4

A person who is very like one of their parents in looks or behaviour

6 8.1

A person who has a lot of experience from many situations

2 4.1

Offered for sale, often at a public auction

Compounds

64 5.2

A short distance equal to two city blocks

block grant
  • Formal
30 4.0

Money given by a national government to local governments for a general purpose with few rules

A basic part that forms the base of something larger

19 1.4

An area in a city surrounded by streets that usually has several buildings

A problem that stops progress or makes moving forward difficult

A time when a person cannot think of new things to write

16 2.9

A hollow rectangular block of concrete used to build walls

A raised platform where an auctioneer stands to sell things

engine block
  • Specialized
5 4.0

A metal part of an engine that holds the cylinders and channels for cooling

4 5.0

A short time when you cannot think clearly or remember something

3 3.0

A single capital letter written clearly and not joined to other letters

3 4.3

A thick wooden board used for cutting and preparing food

A block of stone or concrete used to make walls

heart block
  • Specialized
2 5.3

The heart's signals stop partly or completely, causing slow, irregular beats and fainting

block diagram
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A simple picture showing the main parts of a system and how they connect

A thick wooden block used to cut food or chop wood

block and tackle
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A set of pulleys and ropes used to lift heavy objects

1 2.8

A large building with many rooms used by different businesses

1 3.5

A tall building with many apartments or offices on different floors

1 4.8

A block of wood with a carved design used to make prints on paper or cloth

1 1.6

A solid piece shaped like a cube that is as long as it is wide and tall

A pair of plates that sprinters push with their feet at the start

block vote
  • Literature
1 6.1

A vote by a delegate that counts for the number of people they represent

cylinder block
  • Specialized
1 5.4

A solid piece of metal in an engine that holds the cylinders where the pistons move and cooling passages

1 6.8

A heart problem when electrical signals between the upper and lower chambers are slow or stop causing fainting

pudendal block
  • Specialized
1 8.6

An injection that numbs the nerves near the vagina to reduce pain during childbirth

block anesthesia
  • Specialized
5.2

A way to make part of the body numb by putting medicine near a nerve

An uppercase letter written clearly and not joined to other letters often used on forms

A wide, square heel on a shoe that gives good balance

block plane
  • Specialized
7.7

A small hand tool for smoothing and trimming the ends of wood

4.1

A light concrete block that builders use to make walls and sheds

bullock block
  • Archaic
9.9

A small wheel used with a rope to help raise sails at the top of a ship's mast

caudal block
  • Specialized
7.1

An injection of pain medicine into the lower part of the spine to numb the lower body for surgery

clinker block
  • Specialized
6.6

A light concrete block used for building, made from waste from burned coal instead of stone

8.9

A large plain apartment building from the communist era

damper block
  • Specialized
8.2

A small piece of felt that drops on a piano string to stop it from vibrating

bad block
  • Specialized
7.7

A part of a disk where data cannot be read or written because it is damaged

bad block
  • Specialized
7.5

A block in a blockchain that the network computers do not accept because it breaks the rules

line block
  • Specialized
9.5

A piece of wood or metal cut to print pictures made mostly of lines

gapers' block
  • Literature
9.3

A traffic slowdown caused by drivers slowing to look at an accident

4.3

A way to numb one body part by injecting medicine near a nerve

pulley block
  • Specialized
4.2

A wheel with a groove for a rope that helps lift or move heavy things

pulley-block
  • Specialized
7.3

A wheel with a groove that a rope runs in to lift things or change the rope's direction

6.8

A method that numbs the area that would touch a saddle by injecting medicine near the spine

paracervical block
  • Specialized
9.7

An injection of numbing medicine beside the cervix to reduce pain during childbirth

pillow block
  • Specialized
7.9

A metal block that supports a shaft so it can turn smoothly with a bearing inside

A pad of paper for quick notes and sketches

scribing block
  • Specialized
9.9

A tool with a sharp point on a stand that checks flat surfaces or marks lines on metal

swage block
  • Specialized
9.9

A heavy iron block with holes and grooves that helps shape hot metal in a forge

trap block
  • Jargon
7.9

In American football, an illegal action where a player hits another player from the side or behind

2.7

A book of blank paper for drawing quick pictures

snatch block
  • Specialized
9.3

A pulley that opens so you can place a rope inside without passing the end through

Surface Forms

block singular
blocks plural

Etymology

Block for a pulley device comes from the same old word bloc for 'piece of wood', because early pulleys used a wooden block to hold the wheel that the rope runs through.