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to block

to block

60 6.0
To shape clothes or fabric by stretching them on a form
  • verb
  • /blɑk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : modelar
  • To create a sculpture, you must first block the clay into the desired shape.

Examples

  • Using a mold, I can block the fabric to fit the new design of the dress.

  • The children were excited to block the sand into various forms at the beach.

  • So you see that this is the block form of my small example here.

  • Here, make your block just like that.

  • The actors are here if you want to block the scene.

  • And when I made this block, I needed really nice bends here.

  • Okay, David, Dianne, let's block up this window!

  • Frida holds her hand up to block the light from her eyes.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • If you can load a bone in such a way that you're pushing on it like a block, then that makes it very strong.

  • Make certain that the diffuser plate is open so it doesn't block the light coming through.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

to shape
vsto block
299 2.0

To give something a certain form for a purpose

uses a solid support or stamp to press items into a fixed form
to mold
vsto block
  • US
35 3.2

To shape something by hand or in a container

uses a solid support or stamp to press and form material from outside

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

Phrasal Verbs

38 4.0

To stop yourself remembering or noticing something unpleasant

23 3.8

Close a road, path or entrance so people cannot go through

14 3.0

To stop light, sound, or air from coming in

6 3.8

To plan something roughly without details

4 3.8

To stop movement through a road, pipe, or path

Ignore noises and other things that interrupt your attention

To offer something for sale, often at an 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 infinitive
blocked past
blocked past participle
blocking present participle
blocks third person singular

Etymology

Block meaning to shape clothes or hats comes from using a wooden block as a form, so to block a sweater or hat is to put it on a solid shape to make the right form.