block

noun

/blɒk/

/blɑːk/

Idioms

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solid material

[countable] a large piece of a solid material that is square or rectangular in shape and usually has flat sides

The houses are made of concrete blocks with tin roofs.
block of something a block of ice/wood
The wall was made from massive blocks of stone.

see also breeze block, building block, chopping block (1), cinder blockTopics Physics and chemistryb1, Buildingsb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

big
huge
large
…

phrases

on the chopping block

See full entry

building

enlarge image

[countable] (British English) a tall building that contains flats or offices; buildings that form part of a school, hospital, etc. which are used for a particular purpose

a block of flats
a tower block
an office block
She lives in a modern apartment block.
the university’s science block

Synonyms buildingbuilding

property
premises
complex
structure
block

These are all words for a structure such as a house, office block or factory that has a roof and four walls

building a structure such as a house, an office block or a factory that has a roof and four walls.
property
a building or buildings and the surrounding land; land and buildings:
- We have a buyer who would like to view the property.
- The price of property has risen enormously.
This word is often used when talking about buying/selling houses or other buildings and land.
premises
[pl.] the building or buildings and surrounding land that a business owns or uses:
- The company is looking for larger premises.
complex
a group of buildings of a similar type together in one place:
- a leisure complex
structure
a thing that is made of several parts, especially a building:
- The pier is a wooden structure.
block
(British English) a tall building that contains flats or offices; a building that forms part of a school, hospital, etc. and is used for a particular purpose:
- a block of flats
- the school’s science block

Patterns

a(n) commercial/industrial/residential building/property/premises/complex/block
an apartment building/complex/block
a/the school building/premises
to build a property/complex/structure/block
to put up a building/property/structure/block
to demolish/pull down a building/property/complex/structure/block

Extra Examples

They live in the next block.
The prisoners had been transferred to a different cell block.

Topics Buildingsb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

high-rise
tower
tenement
…

preposition

in a/the block
block of

See full entry

streets

[countable] (North American English) the length of one side of a piece of land or group of buildings, from the place where one street crosses it to the next

His apartment is three blocks away from the police station.
They walked a few blocks down the street.

Topics Transport by car or lorryb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

city

preposition

around the block
round the block
block from
…

See full entry

[countable] a group of buildings with streets on all sides

around the block She took the dog for a walk around the block.
(North American English) The downtown area covers four city blocks.

Extra Examples

The hotel occupies an entire block.
People were queueing round the block to get in.

Topics Transport by car or lorryb1, Buildingsb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

city

preposition

around the block
round the block
block from
…

See full entry

area of land

[countable] (especially North American English) a large area of land

[countable] (Australian English) an area of land for building a house on

amount

[countable] a quantity of something or an amount of time that is considered as a single unit

a block of shares
a block of text in a document
(British English) The theatre gives discounts for block bookings (= a large number of tickets bought at the same time).
The three-hour class is divided into four blocks of 45 minutes each.

that stops progress

[countable, usually singular] block (to something) something that makes movement or progress difficult or impossible synonym obstacle

Lack of training acts as a block to progress in a career.
I suddenly had a mental block and couldn't remember his name.

see also roadblock, stumbling block, writer’s block

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

mental
writer’s

verb + block

experience
have
suffer from
…

See full entry

in sport

[countable] a movement that stops another player from going forward

the blocks

(also starting blocks)

[plural] the two blocks on the ground that runners push their feet against at the beginning of a race

for punishment

the block

[singular] (in the past) the piece of wood on which a person’s head was cut off as a punishment see also chopping block (2)

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

big
huge
large
…

phrases

on the chopping block

See full entry

Word OriginMiddle English (denoting a log or tree stump): from Old French bloc (noun), bloquer (verb), from Middle Dutch blok, of unknown ultimate origin.

Idioms

a chip off the old block

(informal) a person who is very similar to their mother or father in the way that they look or behave

go on the block

to be sold, especially at an auction (= a sale in which items are sold to the person who offers the most money)

have been around the block (a few times)

(informal) to have a lot of experience

I’ll knock your block/head off!

(informal) used to threaten somebody that you will hit them

a/the new kid on the block

(informal) a person who is new to a place, an organization, etc.
- Despite his six years in politics, he was still regarded by many as the new kid on the block.

put/lay your head/neck on the block

to risk losing your job, damaging your reputation, etc. by doing or saying something
- It's not a matter that I'm prepared to put my head on the block for.

block

verb

/blɒk/

/blɑːk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they block	/blɒk/ /blɑːk/
he / she / it blocks	/blɒks/ /blɑːks/
past simple blocked	/blɒkt/ /blɑːkt/
past participle blocked	/blɒkt/ /blɑːkt/
-ing form blocking	/ˈblɒkɪŋ/ /ˈblɑːkɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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block something to stop something from moving or flowing through a pipe, a passage, a road, etc. by putting something in it or across it
- After today's heavy snow, many roads are still blocked.
- a blocked sink
- A truck had overturned and was completely blocking traffic.
Extra Examples
- A large delivery van was almost blocking the narrow street.
- Fat that is poured down the sink will block the drain.
- The exit was blocked with beer crates.
- He found that the pipe was partially blocked with leaves.
Topics Transport by car or lorryb1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- completely
- almost
- partially
- …
verb + block
- try to
- move to
preposition
- with
See full entry
block the/somebody's way, exit, view, etc. to stop somebody from going somewhere or seeing something by standing in front of them or in their way
- One of the guards moved to block her path.
- An ugly new building blocked the view from the window.
- His way was blocked by two large bouncers.
- She had her back to the door, blocking his exit.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- completely
- almost
- partially
- …
verb + block
- try to
- move to
preposition
- with
See full entry
block something to prevent something from happening, developing or making progress
- The proposed merger has been blocked by the government.
- Firewalls can block unauthorized access to a computer.
Extra Examples
- The local mayor is seeking to block the dumping of waste in the area.
- He accused the French of trying to block the agreement.
- A court ruling blocked the plans to develop the area.
- The new rules would effectively block protesters' attempts to assert their rights.
- The group has moved to block the government's proposals.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- successfully
- effectively
verb + block
- attempt to
- seek to
- try to
- …
See full entry
block something to stop a ball, hit, etc. from reaching somewhere by moving in front of it
- His shot was blocked by the goalie.
- We learned some basic punching and blocking techniques.
block something to stop a mobile/cell phone from being used, for example after it has been stolen
- Police have accused mobile networks of failing to block stolen phones.
block somebody to prevent someone from contacting you on social media
- There are many reasons to block someone online.
- A person who has been blocked won't necessarily know that you've blocked them.

Word OriginMiddle English (denoting a log or tree stump): from Old French bloc (noun), bloquer (verb), from Middle Dutch blok, of unknown ultimate origin.