block
[noun]
Synonyms:
- piece, bar, brick, chunk, hunk, ingot, lump, mass
- obstruction, bar, barrier, blockage, hindrance, impediment, jam, obstacle
[verb]
Synonyms:
- obstruct, bung up (informal), choke, clog, close, plug, stem the flow, stop up
- stop, bar, check, halt, hinder, impede, obstruct, thwart

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English Thesaurus: building, property, premises, complex, development, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. block¹ S2 W2 /blɒk $ blɑːk/ noun [countable]
[Word Family: verb: block, unblock, blockade; noun: block, blockage, blockade; adjective: blocked, unblocked]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: bloc, from Middle Dutch blok]

1. SOLID MATERIAL a piece of hard material such as wood or stone with straight sides ⇒ breeze-block, building block, cinder block
block of
a block of ice
a wall made of concrete blocks

2. STREETS/AREA
a) American English the distance along a city street from where one street crosses it to the next:
Head for 44th Street, a few blocks east of Sixth Avenue.
The church is down the block.
b) the four city streets that form a square around an area of buildings:
Let’s walk round the block.
She grew up playing with the other kids on the block.
c) Australian English a large piece of land:
a ten-acre block near the city

3. LARGE BUILDING a large building divided into separate parts
block of
a block of flats
an office block
an apartment block
the school science block

4. QUANTITY OF THINGS a quantity of things of the same kind, considered as a single unit
block of
New employees receive a block of shares in the firm.
Set aside blocks of time for doing your homework.

5. block booking/voting an arrangement that is made for a whole group to buy something or to vote together

6. INABILITY TO THINK [usually singular] the temporary loss of your normal ability to think, learn, write etc:
I have a mental block whenever I try to remember my password.
After his second novel, Garland had writer’s block (=he could not write anything).

7. STOPPING MOVEMENT [usually singular] something that prevents movement or progress
block to
a major block to progress ⇒ roadblock, stumbling block

8. PUNISHMENT the block in the past, a solid block of wood on which someone’s head was cut off as a punishment

9. put your head/neck on the block to risk destroying other people’s opinion of you or losing your job by doing or saying something:
I’m not prepared to put my head on the block for him.

10. SPORT a movement in sport that stops an opponent going forward or playing the ball forward

11. SELL go on the block to be sold, especially at an auction:
$500 million worth of art will go on the block.
⇒ block capitals, tower block, ⇒ be a chip off the old block at chip¹(7), ⇒ I’ll knock your block off at knock¹(24)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. block² S3 verb [transitive]
[Word Family: verb: block, unblock, blockade; noun: block, blockage, blockade; adjective: blocked, unblocked]

1. (also block up) to prevent anything moving through a space by being or placing something across it or in it:
A fallen tree is blocking the road.
The sink’s blocked up.

2. block sb’s way/path/exit/escape etc to stand in front of someone, so that they cannot go past:
I tried to get through, but there were people blocking my way.

3. to stop something happening, developing, or succeeding:
The Senate blocked publication of the report.
laws designed to block imports of cheap tobacco

4. block sb’s view to be in front of someone, so that they cannot see something:
The huge building across the street blocked our view of the sea.

5. (also block out) to stop light reaching a place:
Can you move? You’re blocking my light.

6. to stop a ball, a blow etc from getting to where your opponent wants it to:
a shot blocked by the goalkeeper
block somebody/something ↔ in phrasal verb

1. to park your car too close to another car, so that the other one cannot drive away

2. to paint or draw simple shapes or areas of colour:
I’ll just block in the main buildings.
block sth↔ off phrasal verb
to completely close something such as a road or an opening:
Police blocked off the city centre streets.
The fireplace had been blocked off.
block sth↔ out

1. to stop light reaching a place:
There was a heavy curtain blocking out the light.

2. to stop yourself thinking about something or remembering it:
a memory so terrible that she tried to block it out

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

block
noun
I. solid piece of sth
ADJ. big, huge, large, massive | small | solid | concrete, stone, wooden | building | starting (for a runner) aiming to be first out of the starting blocks
breeze

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

block
II. large building divided into offices/flats
ADJ. high-rise, tower | administration, apartment, cell, office The prisoners had been transferred to a different cell block.
PREP. in a/the ~ She lives in a modern apartment block.
~ of a block of flats

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

block
III. temporary loss of abilities
ADJ. mental, writer's The author denies that she is experiencing writer's block.
VERB + BLOCK experience, have, suffer from I suddenly had a mental block and couldn't remember his name.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

block
verb
I. make it difficult to pass
ADV. completely | almost | partially, partly | off, up The old route is completely blocked off. Don't block up the corridor with all these boxes.
VERB + BLOCK try to | move to One of the men moved to block their path.
PREP. with The exit was blocked with beer crates.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

block
II. prevent sth being done
ADV. successfully | effectively The new rules would effectively block protesters' attempts to assert their rights.
VERB + BLOCK attempt to, seek to, try to | move to The group has moved to block the government's proposals.
PHRASAL VERBS block sth out
ADV. completely Black clouds had completely blocked out the sun.
almost

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

block

a block of flats British English
Three new blocks of flats were built on the land.
an apartment block
I met him at his apartment block in Manhattan.
an office block
She works in a 27-storey office block.
a tower block (=very high and usually in a poor area)
She lived on the 17th floor of a tower block in East London.
a tenement block (=an apartment block, usually in a poor area - used especially in Scotland)
We had a tiny flat in an Edinburgh tenement block.
a high-rise block (=very high)
The area is full of monstrous concrete high-rise blocks.
a multi-storey block (=having many levels)
Many shops and offices have been rebuilt in high multi-storey blocks.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

building a structure such as a house, church, or factory, that has a roof and walls:
The college needs money to pay for new buildings.
property formal a building or piece of land, or both together - used especially when talking about buying and selling buildings or land:
The next property they looked at was too small.
The company received permission to build six residential properties on the land.
premises formal the buildings and land that a shop, restaurant, company etc uses:
You are not allowed to drink alcohol on the premises.
The bread is baked on the premises.
complex a group of buildings, or a large building with many parts, used for a particular purpose:
The town has one of the best leisure complexes in the country.
a luxury apartment complex
development a group of new buildings that have all been planned and built together on the same piece of land:
a new housing development
a huge industrial development
block especially British English a large tall building that contains apartments or offices, or is part of a school, university, or hospital:
an office block
a block of flats
a tower block (=a very tall building - often used disapprovingly)
My next lecture is in the science block.
facility especially American English a place or building used for a particular activity or industry:
a research facility on campus
edifice formal a large building, especially one that is tall and impressive - a very formal use:
Their head office was an imposing edifice.
structure formal something that has been made to stand upright - used especially when talking about buildings:
The stone arch is one of the town’s oldest existing structures.
an immense barn-like structure
Mogul calls this building, designed by Donald and John Parkinson in 1928, ‘the most important structure in Los Angeles of the 20th century.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

complicated consisting of a lot of different parts or details and therefore difficult to understand:
The rules of the game seemed very complicated.
I didn’t realize programming the VCR would be so complicated.
The brain is like a very powerful, very complicated computer.
a complicated issue
complex a complex process, relationship etc is difficult to understand because it has a lot of parts that are all connected in different ways:
The chemical processes involved are extremely complex.
the complex relationship between government and the media
elaborate having a lot of parts or details and very carefully planned, but often more complicated than is necessary:
Mike had worked out an elaborate system for categorizing his collection of DVDs.
The plan to kidnap her had become even more elaborate.
Sociologists have been coming up with increasingly elaborate theories to explain unsafe sexual practices.
involved very long and complicated – use this especially about something that you think should be made simpler:
The system for choosing candidates is very involved, and I won’t go into it here.
Adopting a child can be a long involved process.
convoluted too complicated and difficult to understand – used especially about someone’s language or arguments, or about a system:
convoluted sentences
Procedures for government funding have become more convoluted.
James’s books are full of long paragraphs and convoluted sentences, which many people do not find appealing.
intricate having a lot of small parts or details – used especially about something that is cleverly designed or made:
Lasers are used to cut intricate designs in the metal.
The farmers use an intricate system of drainage canals.
the intricate workings of a watch
intricate patterns of coloured marble
a leisure complex (=where you can play sports or relax)
The new leisure complex includes a swimming pool, a sauna and a gym.
a shopping complex
Some old buildings were pulled down to make space for a new shopping complex.
a sports complex
The sports complex also has six tennis courts.
an entertainment complex (=with cinemas, restaurants and other places to go)
There are plans for an entertainment complex with cinemas and a bowling alley.
a holiday complex (=one where people go for holidays)
The lively holiday complex has plenty of nightclubs, bars, and restaurants.
a housing/residential complex (=for people to live in)
Architects designed the residential complexes near the beach.
a retail/commercial complex (=for shops, businesses, or industries)
a ten-screen movie theater and retail complex
an office/museum/hospital etc complex
a 120-acre office complex near Las Vegas
an apartment complex American English
a luxury apartment complex on Fulton Street
building a structure such as a house, church, or factory, that has a roof and walls:
The college needs money to pay for new buildings.
property formal a building or piece of land, or both together - used especially when talking about buying and selling buildings or land:
The next property they looked at was too small.
The company received permission to build six residential properties on the land.
premises formal the buildings and land that a shop, restaurant, company etc uses:
You are not allowed to drink alcohol on the premises.
The bread is baked on the premises.
development a group of new buildings that have all been planned and built together on the same piece of land:
a new housing development
a huge industrial development
block especially British English a large tall building that contains apartments or offices, or is part of a school, university, or hospital:
an office block
a block of flats
a tower block (=a very tall building - often used disapprovingly)
My next lecture is in the science block.
facility especially American English a place or building used for a particular activity or industry:
a research facility on campus
edifice formal a large building, especially one that is tall and impressive - a very formal use:
Their head office was an imposing edifice.
structure formal something that has been made to stand upright - used especially when talking about buildings:
The stone arch is one of the town’s oldest existing structures.
an immense barn-like structure
Mogul calls this building, designed by Donald and John Parkinson in 1928, ‘the most important structure in Los Angeles of the 20th century.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

piece an amount of something that has been cut or separated from the main part:
Could I have another piece of cake?
a piece of broken glass
Emma cut the pie into eight pieces.
bit a piece. Bit is more informal than piece and is often used about smaller pieces:
The notes were written on bits of paper.
He threw a bit of wood onto the fire.
lump a small piece of something solid or firm that does not have a regular shape:
two lumps of sugar
a lump of coal
a lump of clay
scrap a small piece of paper, cloth etc that is no longer needed:
I wrote the phone number on a scrap of paper.
The dog was eating scraps of food off the floor.
strip a long narrow piece of cloth, paper etc:
a strip of cloth
The leather had been cut into strips.
sheet a thin flat piece of something such as paper, glass, or metal:
a blank sheet of paper
a sheet of aluminium
slice a thin flat piece of bread, cake, meat etc cut from a larger piece:
a slice of pizza
Cut the tomatoes into thin slices.
chunk a piece of something solid that does not have a regular shape – used especially about food, rock, or metal:
The fruit was cut into large chunks.
a chunk of bread
hunk a large piece with rough edges, which has been cut or has broken off a bigger piece of food, rock etc:
a big hunk of cheese
hunks of concrete
block a piece of something solid, which has straight sides:
concrete blocks
a block of cheese
a block of ice
slab a thick flat piece of stone, or of cake, meat etc:
The floor had been made from stone slabs.
a slab of beef
cube a piece that has six square sides – used especially about food:
a cube of sugar
ice cubes
wedge a piece that has a thick end and a pointed end, and is shaped like a triangle – used especially about food and metal:
a wedge of cheese
bar a block of soap, chocolate, candy, or metal, which has straight sides:
a chocolate bar
a bar of soap
gold bars worth more than £26 million
rasher British English a slice of bacon:
I usually have two rashers of bacon for breakfast.
cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
They chopped down the old tree.
finely chopped onion
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

piece an amount of something that has been cut or separated from the main part:
Could I have another piece of cake?
a piece of broken glass
Emma cut the pie into eight pieces.
bit a piece. Bit is more informal than piece and is often used about smaller pieces:
The notes were written on bits of paper.
He threw a bit of wood onto the fire.
lump a small piece of something solid or firm that does not have a regular shape:
two lumps of sugar
a lump of coal
a lump of clay
scrap a small piece of paper, cloth etc that is no longer needed:
I wrote the phone number on a scrap of paper.
The dog was eating scraps of food off the floor.
strip a long narrow piece of cloth, paper etc:
a strip of cloth
The leather had been cut into strips.
sheet a thin flat piece of something such as paper, glass, or metal:
a blank sheet of paper
a sheet of aluminium
slice a thin flat piece of bread, cake, meat etc cut from a larger piece:
a slice of pizza
Cut the tomatoes into thin slices.
chunk a piece of something solid that does not have a regular shape – used especially about food, rock, or metal:
The fruit was cut into large chunks.
a chunk of bread
hunk a large piece with rough edges, which has been cut or has broken off a bigger piece of food, rock etc:
a big hunk of cheese
hunks of concrete
block a piece of something solid, which has straight sides:
concrete blocks
a block of cheese
a block of ice
slab a thick flat piece of stone, or of cake, meat etc:
The floor had been made from stone slabs.
a slab of beef
cube a piece that has six square sides – used especially about food:
a cube of sugar
ice cubes
wedge a piece that has a thick end and a pointed end, and is shaped like a triangle – used especially about food and metal:
a wedge of cheese
bar a block of soap, chocolate, candy, or metal, which has straight sides:
a chocolate bar
a bar of soap
gold bars worth more than £26 million
rasher British English a slice of bacon:
I usually have two rashers of bacon for breakfast.
fragment a small piece that has broken off something, especially something hard:
The window shattered, covering them with fragments of glass.
They found fragments of bone.
crumb a very small piece of bread, cake etc:
There were just a few crumbs left on the plate.
speck a piece of something such as dirt or dust which is so small you almost cannot see it:
She brushed the specks of dust from the table.
drop a very small amount of a liquid:
There were drops of blood on the floor.
I felt a drop of rain.
slab of rock/stone/meat

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

block
blɔk
See: chip off the old block , knock one's block off , on the block

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲