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

Considering the player portion of the vote counts for 25 percent of the total, that’s a massive gap in the voting bloc. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 7 July 2026

The bloc’s backing could provide a boost to Galán-Woods, who is vying for the nomination for one of the most competitive seats in the country. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 8 July 2026

With support dispersed across multiple parties, no cohesive far-right bloc formed around Bolsonaro to shield him politically. — Cristina Buarque De Hollanda, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2026

Especially when—this kind of brings us full circle—women are arguably the most important voting bloc in the Democratic Party, right? — David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 July 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"