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block

block

126 2.0
A part of a large building with separate rooms
  • noun
  • /blɑk/
translation icon : bloque
  • The precinct captains notify the block wardens.

And with my new side neighbor, there's that center block wall.

Examples

  • Residents in the old block were excited to hear about the upcoming renovations.

  • A very large building block laid for the future.

  • I know someone on this block.

  • She dropped me a block from my apartment house.

  • The guide directs us into the first block, now home to museum displays.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Everybody in Malka's apartment block and in Aviva's own building wanted to be her friend.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Students participated in interventions during a 30-minute intervention block built into the regular school day.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Participants were recruited during randomly selected 6-hour blocks of time from August 2001 through April 2003.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The new apartment building has a spacious block with several units available for rent.

  • She decided to move into a different block in the school to be closer to her friends.

Synonyms

apartment building
vsblock
  • US
98 1.2

A large building with many separate homes where people live

is a section of a larger structure rather than the whole
apartment house
vsblock
  • US
10 2.0

A building with many separate homes where different people live

is the smaller part of a larger structure rather than the whole
tower block
vsblock
  • UK
1 3.5

A tall building with many apartments or offices on different floors

is not specifically tall and applies to sections of any height
office block
vsblock
  • UK
1 2.8

A large building with many rooms used by different businesses

is a section that can be residential, educational, or other rooms not only business
superblock
vsblock
6.8

A very large building that contains many apartments

is much smaller meaning one section rather than an entire large complex

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

How Big

building
1.0
wing
122 3.0
block
126 2.0
unit
504 1.1
room
1.0

Surface Forms

block singular
blocks plural

Etymology

Block as a part of a building comes from the idea of a 'block' as a single unit or chunk, so a block of apartments is one grouped section of the larger building.