as in member
one of the parts that make up a whole
historically the infantry division has been a basic building block of armies
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Recent Examples of building block
Rich people were never interested in building block after stately block of brownstones.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The e-skin is made from magnetic patches that fit together like building blocks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
But for this team, there’s building blocks for sure.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for building block
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The e-skin is made from magnetic patches that fit together like building blocks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
But for this team, there’s building blocks for sure.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for building block
Recent Examples of Synonyms for building block
Noun
-
Amazon’s exclusive hub is full of limited time deals that only Prime members can access, and deals span across all categories, including home, fashion, kitchen, and gardening.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The mayor was joined by City Council members Adrian Nazarian and Imelda Padilla, as well as environmental advocates.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Many devices integrate flash storage into their main logic boards and cryptographically pair it with other components for security, a practice popularized by Apple.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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And by the way, there’s a humanitarian component here as well in terms of fertilizer, food, and other aid agencies that need that open for the ongoing crises in Africa.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That could play out again with Cherfilus-McCormick and Mills, though one complicating factor with the Florida Republican is his ethics investigation isn’t as far along.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Numerous other factors will also be scrutinized after Monday’s loss, including timeout management and a scoreless fourth quarter by Karl-Anthony Towns.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
It’s broken up into elements water, fire, earth and void.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
One element certainly different is Hollywood itself.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Farideh Sadeghin, who authored The Hot Dog Cookbook, advised shoppers to use meat as a flavor enhancer instead of the main ingredient.—
Hali Smith
April 20,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Cassandra Hutchison, an aesthetician who gives the treatments at the spa, said the ingredient is intended to repair skin and keep inflammation down.—
Aya Diab,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Building block.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/building%20block. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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