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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The tycoon's unannounced departure from Thailand on his private jet came after his party failed in desperate bids to dissolve the house and undermine Anutin's bloc. Panarat Thepgumpanat, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025 As part of his campaign platform, McGregor has opposed a European Union migration pact that would more evenly distribute the processing of asylum seekers across the bloc. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 5 Sep. 2025 All three voter blocs strongly favored Mayor Scott’s message and policies over the approach, by both GOP and Democratic politicians, that focused only on police as messengers and policing as a response to concerns about crime. David Weigel, semafor.com, 5 Sep. 2025 The European Commission underlined its determination to expand cooperative trade to other partners beyond the US, on Wednesday sending free trade deals with Mexico and the Mercosur trading bloc in Latin America for ratification by member states. David McHugh, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bloc

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, block

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bloc was in 1903

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bloc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloc. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

bloc

noun
: a combination of persons, groups, or nations united by treaty, agreement, or common interest
a bloc of voters
Etymology

French, literally, "block"

More from Merriam-Webster on bloc

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