bloc

\ ˈbläk

How to pronounce bloc (audio)

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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 Forging a comprehensive free trade agreement between the EU and a third country usually talks years, not months, and Johnson’s timeline is viewed as unrealistic across the bloc. — Washington Post, "France rejects 11-month deadline UK sets on EU trade talks," 10 Jan. 2020 So far, the Democrats’ chase of a four-Republican bloc hasn’t turned up any wins. — Philip Elliott, Time, "Former National Security Advisor John Bolton's Offer to Testify Tests Mitch McConnell's Power," 7 Jan. 2020 The president appeared to take the critique from one of his strongest voting blocs personally, mocking the magazine, which was founded by Billy Graham, and retweeting supporters of his who also blasted the publication. — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, "Trump launches evangelical coalition after strike on Iranian military leader," 3 Jan. 2020 Other major political blocs also issued statements condemning the strikes, underlining the extent to which the United States in Iraq has lost influence to Iran in recent years, said Mansour. — BostonGlobe.com, "BAGHDAD — US airstrikes against bases of an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq drew condemnation across the Iraqi political spectrum Monday, as well as threats of retaliation, raising the risk of an escalating spiral of attacks and questions over the continued viability of the US military presence.," 1 Jan. 2020 Other major political blocs also issued statements condemning the strikes, underlining the extent to which the United States in Iraq has lost influence to Iran in recent years, said Mansour. — Arkansas Online, "Iraq, Iran rip U.S. airstrikes against militia," 31 Dec. 2019 And the airstrikes will embolden the pro-Iranian blocs in parliament to push again for the expulsion of US forces from Iraq. — Tim Lister, CNN, "A proxy war between the US and Iran just moved a step closer," 30 Dec. 2019 The latest data suggest that Brits afraid of losing freedom of movement within the bloc have looked hard in the past year for a EU passport. — Youyou Zhou, Quartz, "Brexit is provoking a record-breaking surge of Brits seeking EU passports," 27 Dec. 2019 The numbers have continued to change, with an unknown number of lawmakers leaving some blocs and joining others. — Qassim Abdul-zahra, SFChronicle.com, "Iraqi protesters denounce choice for prime minister," 22 Dec. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

14 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Bloc.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloc. Accessed 18 January 2020.

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