1 [count] : a solid piece of material (such as rock or wood) that has flat sides and is usually square or rectangular in shape
▪ a block of ice/cheese ▪ a wall built out of concrete/cinder blocks ▪ (US) kids playing with wooden blocks [=(Brit) bricks] — see also building block, chopping block, starting block 2 [count] a : an area of land surrounded by four streets in a city
▪ We took a walk around the block. ▪ She lived on our block.
b US : the length of one city block
▪ The store is three blocks down on the right. ▪ Our hotel is a block from the ocean. 3 [count] : a large building divided into separate units (such as apartments or shops)
▪ an apartment block ◊This sense of block is more common in British English than in U.S. English.
▪ a high-rise office block — see also block of flats, cellblock, tower block 4 [singular] : something that stops the progress or achievement of something
▪ They put a block on future development of the area. 5 [count] sports : an action or movement that stops or slows down an opponent
▪ a shoulder block ▪ (American football) The lineman threw a block. [=the lineman hit an opposing player to prevent him from making a tackle] 6 [singular] : something that stops a person from thinking about certain things
▪ a mental/emotional block — see also stumbling block, writer's block 7 [count] a : a number of similar things that form a group
▪ We reserved a block of seats. ▪ She bought a large block of stock/shares in the company.
b : an amount or section of something
▪ They played a half-hour block of music. ▪ We set aside a big block of time for the project. ▪ a block of text