block
/blɑk/ noun A1- A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance. · a block of ice; a block of stone· She picked up the block and examined it.
- A chopping block: a cuboid base for cutting or beheading. · Anne Boleyn placed her head on the block and awaited her execution.
- A wig block: a simplified head model upon which wigs are worn.
- A mould on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped.
- A piece of hard wood on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted.
- A case or frame housing one or more sheaves (pulleys), used with ropes to increase or redirect force, for example as part of lifting gear or a sailing ship's rigging. See also block and tackle.
- A section of split logs used as fuel.
- A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end, forming a cuboid shape. · a block of 100 tickets
Plural blocks
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
It was as cold as a block of marble.
They walked over a pavement of the same green marble, and where the blocks were joined together were rows of emeralds, set closely, and glittering in the brightness of the sun.
The central portion was in little better repair, but the right-hand block was comparatively modern, and the blinds in the windows, with the blue smoke curling up from the chimneys, showed that this was where the family resided.
When about midway of a certain block the policeman suddenly slowed his walk.
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