Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
auction block

auction block

6 5.3
A raised platform where an auctioneer stands to sell things
  • noun
  • /ˈɔːkʃən blɑk/
translation icon : plataforma de subasta
  • The painting by Van Gogh is currently on the auction block, attracting many art collectors.

And it shows a slave woman on the auction block holding her daughter's hand.

Examples

  • Alfred Sensier's death in January 1877 brought to the auction block thirty more of Millet's paintings and drawings, which sold for from 130 to 9,000 francs.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Ron has taken the notebooks off the auction block.

    Blog text (23)

  • Now whose turn is it to stand on the auction block?

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Not to brag, but Classic Exhibits may have the most exciting item on the auction block!

    Blog text (19)

  • The judge issued the injunction and ITT went on the auction block.

    Academic text (2009)

  • In May 2012, a collector put a sample of Ronald Reagan's blood on the auction block.

    Blog text (3)

  • Saturn, arguably the most innovative undertaking by the company in several decades, is on the auction block.

    Blog text (31)

  • Snapnames can put your domain up on the auction block and appraise its value.

    Blog text (27)

  • More of Rita Crundwell's real estate and belongings are set to go on the auction block soon to try and recoup some of the $53 million missing from the city of Dixon, Illinois.

    Blog text (3)

  • GoDaddy is on the auction block, hiring Qatalyst Partners (the boutique firm run by veteran technology banker Frank Quattrone) to find a buyer.

    Blog text (6)

Synonyms

block
vsauction block
46 6.1

A raised place where people sell items at an auction

uses a two-word, more specific name for the same platform

Surface Forms

auction block singular
auction blocks plural

Morphology

auction + block

The compound combines 'auction' (a public sale) and 'block' (a raised platform) to denote the platform used for conducting sales; a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer this meaning. This is a straightforward compositional noun–noun construction common across languages, so the MWE is transparently interpretable from its parts.

Etymology

Auction block comes from the image of a raised wooden block or small stage where the seller put an item so buyers could see it and bid. That's why auction block today means 'a platform from which an auctioneer conducts sales'.