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

The preparation led to a groundbreaking moment where students, teachers and parents were able to briefly remove their protective eyeglasses and observe the moon’s complete blockage of the sun, revealing its radiating halo known as the corona. —Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024

This plan comes as President Biden’s efforts to cancel student debt have faced obstacles, including a blockage by the Supreme Court last year. —Melissa Noel, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024

Cari White is the chairman of the Eclipse Oversight Committee for Jonesboro, Arkansas, where the moment of totality – complete blockage of the sun – will last 2 minutes and 17 seconds. —David Pogue, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2024

The collapse Tuesday morning of Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and its blockage of the Baltimore Harbor is the latest crisis to hit the country’s fragile supply chains. —Edward Segal, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

While the most common types of strokes are caused by a blockage of an artery, a smaller percentage are caused by bleeding — and even fewer result from clots in veins. —Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024

On April 8, a solar eclipse will occur across North America, with a path of totality — total blockage of the sun by the moon — occurring throughout the day above several large U.S. cities in succession. —Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024

SpaceX identified filter blockage as the culprit, in which oxygen-rich liquid from the engines clogged the filters. —George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024

The requirement for a park was imposed more than 20 years by the Coastal Commission to make up for the visual impacts and view blockages caused by the behemoth USS Midway. —Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1724, in the meaning defined above

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