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block

block

89 2.0
An action in sport that stops another player from moving
  • noun
  • /blɑk/
translation icon : bloqueo
  • The defender made a crucial block to prevent the opposing player from scoring.

You got to feel good when someone else scores that touchdown that you threw the block, right?

Examples

  • During the volleyball game, she executed a perfect block at the net that surprised her opponent.

  • The girls lined up behind the starting block in the order they would swim: Jen, Dana, Amy, Shanti.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • You have three blocks to kill him.

  • Sure enough, after only a few blocks, we ran into yet another roadblock!

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The runners were in the starting blocks for the 100-meter dash.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • An overcast sky dimmed the moonlight as she began her familiar three-block journey home.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • He always practices his footwork to improve his ability to block the ball effectively.

Synonyms

restraint
vsblock
73 4.7

Something used to hold a person or animal still

is a sudden obstructing act often in sports not a device or lasting limitation
blocking
vsblock
18 3.4

Stopping a player from moving by standing in front of them

is a general obstruction of movement often used in sports not only by standing

Antonyms

33 1.8

Help given to someone to make a task easier

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 Obstructed

obstruction
43 4.4
stop
310 1.0
block
89 2.0
to tackle
65 2.5

Surface Forms

block singular
blocks plural

Etymology

Block in sports comes from the same idea of stopping movement with something solid, so to make a block is to use your body to stop an opponent or the ball.