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
Stuart WashingtonPotvin's outstanding bloc of games during his rookie campaign occurred during the 1993 playoffs.—Stan Fischler
Stan FischlerSynonyms
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 spat comes as the G7 leaders work to hash out the final wording of their communique, the crowning document of this year’s summit in Puglia, which sets out the bloc’s values and agenda for the year ahead.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 June 2024
But Hungary next month assumes the rotating presidency of the EU Council, giving Orban an opportunity to throw anti-Ukraine spanners into the bloc’s policymaking process.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024
The result reduced the leaders of the bloc’s biggest nations, Germany and France, to lame ducks.
—Max Hastings, Twin Cities, 12 June 2024
In the five years since the last election, the bloc jointly bought Covid-19 vaccines and started a massive economic stimulus program to recover from the pandemic.
—Matina Stevis-Gridneff, New York Times, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for bloc 
Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 June 2024
But Hungary next month assumes the rotating presidency of the EU Council, giving Orban an opportunity to throw anti-Ukraine spanners into the bloc’s policymaking process.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024
The result reduced the leaders of the bloc’s biggest nations, Germany and France, to lame ducks.
—Max Hastings, Twin Cities, 12 June 2024
In the five years since the last election, the bloc jointly bought Covid-19 vaccines and started a massive economic stimulus program to recover from the pandemic.
—Matina Stevis-Gridneff, New York Times, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for bloc
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bloc.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bloc
Cite this Entry
“Bloc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloc. Accessed 19 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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"
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