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Glite Dictionary
to put on the block

to put on the block

5.6
To offer something for sale, often at an auction
  • phrasal verb
  • US
translation icon : poner a la venta
  • The rare painting was finally put on the block at auction, attracting interest from collectors worldwide.

Examples

  • James Avgeris, asset manager for Avgeris and Associates Inc. of Lombard, IL, declined to comment when asked about future plans for the property and the price paid for the 30,000-square-foot, 32-acre industrial complex that had been put on the block about three years ago.

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  • After much deliberation, the estate was put on the block, allowing bidders to offer their best prices.

  • The antique furniture set was put on the block during the charity auction, drawing a lot of attention.

Synonyms

to auction
vsto put on the block
53 3.6

To sell something at a public sale where people bid and the highest bidder buys it

is used more as a casual phrase for offering items for sale
to auction off
vsto put on the block
24 3.5

To sell something to the person who offers the most money at a public sale

is the general phrase for offering things for sale publicly
to put up
vsto put on the block
18 3.5

Offer something for sale at an auction

is shorter and more neutral wording for the same action
to bring to the hammer
vsto put on the block
  • Jargon
9.5

Offer something for sale at an auction

is the common general phrase for offering items to bidding buyers

Antonyms

to withdraw
159 3.5

To take money or things out of a place where they are kept

How Offered

to auction
53 3.6
to put on the block
  • US
5.6
to offer
∞ 1.0
to list
632 1.0

Surface Forms

put on the block infinitive
put on the block past
put on the block past participle
putting on the block present participle
puts on the block third person singular

Morphology

put + on + the + block

The phrase is directly compositional: 'put' (place) + 'on' (onto a surface) + 'block' (auction platform) yields the meaning of placing an item on an auction block to offer it for sale. This literal spatial-to-social mapping is predictable from the constituents and mirrors constructions in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the given word senses should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Put on the block may come from old auctions where people put a thing on a wooden block so buyers could see it and offer money. That's why it now means 'to offer something for sale', often at an auction.