blockhouse

block·house | \ ˈbläk-ˌhau̇s

Definition of blockhouse

1a : a structure of heavy timbers formerly used for military defense with sides loopholed and pierced for gunfire and often with a projecting upper story

b : a small easily defended building for protection from enemy fire

2 : a building usually of reinforced concrete serving as an observation point for an operation likely to be accompanied by heat, blast, or radiation hazard

Examples of blockhouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Clark rushed his team back into the blockhouse, but even within the thick walls, the level of radiation was still climbing. — Carl Zimmer, The Atlantic, "Nuclear Tests Marked Life on Earth With a Radioactive Spike," 20 Mar. 2020 Another benefit of the blockhouse size and shape is cargo capacity. — Jim Resnick, Ars Technica, "As capable as a Jeep, as reliable as a Toyota—it’s the 2020 4Runner SUV," 14 Feb. 2020 The old launch-pad blockhouses there had a single restroom — for men. — Washington Post, "Apollo 11 moon landing had thousands working behind scenes," 15 July 2019 In one blockhouse after another, the telephone went dead. — Time, "Inside General Eisenhower’s Sleepless Night Ahead of the D-Day Invasion," 6 June 2019 But the simple blockhouse flounders amid soggy soils and high river stages. — Richard Campanella, NOLA.com, "How New Orleans was founded in 1718: Indecision, contingency, discord and serendipity," 10 Jan. 2018 And then there are the brutalist concrete blockhouses of the Soviet era. — Lori Rackl, chicagotribune.com, "Spend a ‘Weekend in Havana’ with new PBS special," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blockhouse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.