bloc

noun

\ ˈbläk

Definition of bloc

1a : 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

2a : 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

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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

Taking off from neighboring countries, CIA U-2s would fly over the airspace of communist bloc countries, taking thousands of pictures of the ground below. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The CIA Gave U-2 Pilots a Special Diet So They Wouldn't Have To Poop," 18 Oct. 2018 For the most part, in fact, the four-member bloc of Democratic appointees on the court — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — has voted more in lock step than the Republican appointees. — Peter Baker, New York Times, "A Conservative Court Push Decades in the Making, With Effects for Decades to Come," 9 July 2018 Poland and Hungary face deep funding cuts under Brussels’ plans for the EU’s next budget, while richer Western members are threatening to withhold earmarked money from countries that disregard the bloc’s line on democratic standards. — Daniel Michaels, WSJ, "Despite Wins, EU Frets Over Rule-of-Law Fight," 20 Jan. 2019 May has rejected the bloc’s proposal for avoiding a hard border, which would keep Northern Ireland inside a customs union with the EU even if the rest of the U.K. leaves. — Raf Casert, The Seattle Times, "EU official urges Britain’s May to get creative on Brexit," 16 Oct. 2018 Less than nine months remain until Britain leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019, and the EU has warned Britain repeatedly that time is running out to seal a divorce deal. — NBC News, "In blow to Theresa May, UK's top Brexit official quits government," 9 July 2018 Less than nine months remain until Britain leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019, and the EU has warned Britain repeatedly that time is running out to seal a divorce deal. — Jill Lawless, The Christian Science Monitor, "Boris Johnson resigns in midst of UK Brexit crisis," 9 July 2018 Millennials certainly make up a huge voting bloc within our electorate, but also people of color. — Rebecca Nelson, Marie Claire, "2019's Barrier-Breaking Politicians Get to Work," 3 Jan. 2019 Lopez Obrador’s National Regeneration Movement — a relatively new political bloc known as Morena — appeared headed for significant victories in congressional and gubernatorial races, according to exit polls. — Patrick J. Mcdonnell, latimes.com, "Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wins Mexico's presidential election in a massive landslide," 2 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bloc.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.