block

• block [countable]
• 1

  solid material

  a piece of hard material such as wood or stone with straight sides
• 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)

Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary