block out

verb

blocked out; blocking out; blocks out

1

: to hide or cover something so that it cannot be seen, felt, or heard

Clouds blocked out the sun.

We put on music to block out the sound of the traffic.

2

: to force oneself not to think about (something)

He tried to block the event out.

3

: to ignore (something)

blocking out distractions

see also:

block entry 2 sense 2

Examples of block out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One example is forming behaviors that can become habits, such as blocking out time for lunch. — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

At night this is lit by strung lights and lanterns, perfect for an al fresco dip above the urban buzz, while inside lamps cast a soft glow, and thick Roman blinds and bedroom curtains block out all light. — Adrienne Wyper, TheWeek, 17 Sep. 2026

Coronagraphs work by blocking out the glare from far-off starlight, allowing light bouncing off the planets orbiting those stars to be captured for direct observations. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Toggle between Quiet and Aware modes to block out background noise or to stay aware of your surroundings. — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 13 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for block out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout