bloc

noun

ˈbläk 

1

a

: a temporary combination of parties in a legislative assembly

b

: a group of legislators who act together for some common purpose irrespective of party lines

2

a

: a combination of persons, groups, or nations forming a unit with a common interest or purpose

a bloc of voters

b

: a group of nations united by treaty or agreement for mutual support or joint action

3

: a quantity, number, or section of things dealt with as a unit : block

… seeking to buy and sell a large bloc of shares …

—Stuart Washington

Potvin's outstanding bloc of games during his rookie campaign occurred during the 1993 playoffs.

—Stan Fischler

Synonyms of bloc

• faction
• party
• coalition
• wing
• side

Examples of bloc in a Sentence

a voting bloc in the senate

a whole bloc of students got together to complain

Recent Examples on the Web

The European Union has mobilized its satellite service Copernicus and is providing funding to help the response, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. — Rocio Munoz, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026

The European Union wants Kosovo and Serbia to normalize ties in order to move forward in their plans to join the bloc. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly has pushed back on suggestions that the agreement represents the creation of a new sectarian or military bloc, saying it is not connected to nuclear ambitions or an arms race. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026

As of mid-April, more than 32,000 people were refused entry through the system and nearly 800 people were identified as posing a security risk, the bloc said. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, block

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing bloc

• en bloc
• sterling bloc

Rhymes for bloc

• balk
• baulk
• bock
• broch
• brock
• calk
• caulk
• chalk
• chock
• clock
• cock
• croc

Kids Definition

bloc

noun

ˈbläk 

: a combination of persons, groups, or nations united by treaty, agreement, or common interest

a bloc of voters

Etymology

French, literally, "block"