blockage

noun

block·​age ˈblä-kij 

: an act or instance of obstructing : the state of being blocked

a blockage in a coronary artery

Examples of blockage in a Sentence

He had surgery to open up blockages in his arteries.

trying to prevent blockage of the artery

Recent Examples on the Web

Male infertility can sometimes be treated with hormone therapy or surgical correction of physical blockages. —Lucy Tu, The Atlantic, 11 July 2025

Additionally, foods that could pose choking hazards or cause blockages in a dog's digestive system—such as corn-on-the-cob, fruit rinds, pits, and apple cores—should be avoided. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025

Cover a glass door with RYB Home’s poly-linen blackout curtains, which promise 100% sunlight blockage and can accommodate up to 84-inch-long surfaces. —Shoko Wanger, Architectural Digest, 30 June 2025

When the blockage gets particularly bad, patients often need a temporary pacemaker paired with IV antibiotics, says Dr. Sunjya K. Schweig, who’s on the scientific advisory board of the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a non-profit that aims to accelerate medical breakthroughs for Lyme disease. —Angela Haupt, Time, 18 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1724, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for blockage

• dockage
• lockage

Kids Definition

blockage

noun

block·​age ˈbläk-ij 

: an act or instance of blocking : the state of being blocked

a blockage in an artery

Medical Definition

blockage

noun

block·​age ˈbläk-ij 

: the action of blocking or the state of being blocked: as

a

: blockade sense 2

b

: internal resistance to understanding a communicated idea, to learning new material, or to adopting a new mode of response because of existing habitual ways of thinking, perceiving, and acting compare blocking

Legal Definition

blockage

noun

block·​age

: the condition of a large block of items of property (as shares of stock) that requires special valuation for purposes of estate and gift tax because the value of the items sold as a block differs from their value if sold individually