Illustration of blockhouse
- blockhouse 1a
blockhouse
noun
block·house
ˈbläk-ˌhau̇s 
1
a
: a structure of heavy timbers formerly used for military defense with sides loopholed and pierced for gunfire and often with a projecting upper story
b
: a small easily defended building for protection from enemy fire
2
: a building usually of reinforced concrete serving as an observation point for an operation likely to be accompanied by heat, blast, or radiation hazard
Examples of blockhouse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Learn More Military History Finally, make a stop at the Oconee Military Museum to honor veterans from the area and the Oconee Station State Historic Site, a stone blockhouse that as used as an outpost by the South Carolina State Militia from about 1792 to 1799.
—
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Aug. 2025
That same Christmas in Columbia, a settlement of four blockhouses and 50 settlers founded a month earlier at what is now Columbia-Tusculum, pioneers held a feast.
—Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2024
One of the original blockhouses overlooks the canal, while the old town is filled with art galleries and craft stories.
—Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
Nearby, several of his men sat in the shade of a small blockhouse, holding automatic weapons.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023
These bolts anchored the blockhouse to the slab, Penders said.
—Rick Neale, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
This makeshift blockhouse marks where technicians launched Bumper 8 on July 24, 1950 — America's first rocket from the Cape.
—Rick Neale, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
The news touched off a wild celebration in the blockhouse hard by the Vanguard launching platform.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023
The ultimate penalty was meted out to him in a rural penitentiary on the evening of Nov. 10, 2009, in a stark, concrete blockhouse called L Unit, as Meyers’s brother, Bob Meyers, looked on.
—Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2022
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Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Aug. 2025
That same Christmas in Columbia, a settlement of four blockhouses and 50 settlers founded a month earlier at what is now Columbia-Tusculum, pioneers held a feast.
—Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2024
One of the original blockhouses overlooks the canal, while the old town is filled with art galleries and craft stories.
—Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
Nearby, several of his men sat in the shade of a small blockhouse, holding automatic weapons.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023
These bolts anchored the blockhouse to the slab, Penders said.
—Rick Neale, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
This makeshift blockhouse marks where technicians launched Bumper 8 on July 24, 1950 — America's first rocket from the Cape.
—Rick Neale, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
The news touched off a wild celebration in the blockhouse hard by the Vanguard launching platform.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023
The ultimate penalty was meted out to him in a rural penitentiary on the evening of Nov. 10, 2009, in a stark, concrete blockhouse called L Unit, as Meyers’s brother, Bob Meyers, looked on.
—Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Blockhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blockhouse. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blockhouse
noun
block·house
-ˌhau̇s
1
: a building of heavy timbers or of concrete built with holes in its sides through which persons inside may fire out at an enemy
2
: a building used as an observation point for an operation likely to be accompanied by heat, blast, or radiation hazard
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