block grant

noun

: an unrestricted grant made by the U.S. federal government to state and local governments to be used at their discretion to pay especially for social services that were formerly paid for through specific federal programs

Examples of block grant in a Sentence

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.
Santos asked how the district is preparing if the money remains frozen or is redirected to states as block grants, which would give Florida discretion over how (or whether) to target the same areas the grants were meant to fund. Miami Herald, 17 July 2025 Another is block grants to rural hospitals, which are struggling. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025 But the impact on other resources, from block grants to employment programs for people with disabilities, is still unclear, Glomb said. Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2025 For example, the agency gave over $519 million for 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and behavioral crisis response services, and a little over $1 billion for mental health service block grants. Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for block grant

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of block grant was in 1966

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Cite this Entry

“Block grant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/block%20grant. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

Legal Definition

block grant

noun
: an unrestricted federal grant

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