block grant

noun

Synonyms of block grantnext
: 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.
The department claims that forty-seven cents of every federal dollar given to states is wasted on regulatory compliance, and Burke and McMahon plan to release more federal money as direct block grants to states, rather than filtering it through Ed. Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026 Both are funded with FY26 dollars, but the block grant is privately funded. Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026 If the Danish block grant diminishes, Greenlanders may need to regard the American offer as the sole viable economic safety net. Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026 As a result, states were cut off from almost $2 billion in block grants, including $350 million in addiction and overdose funding. Charles Lebaron, Time, 13 Jan. 2026 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Block grant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/block%20grant. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

Legal Definition

block grant

noun
: an unrestricted federal grant

More from Merriam-Webster on block grant

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster