1
a
: a temporary combination of parties in a legislative assembly
b
: a group of legislators who act together for some common purpose irrespective of party lines
2
a
: a combination of persons, groups, or nations forming a unit with a common interest or purpose
a bloc of voters
b
: a group of nations united by treaty or agreement for mutual support or joint action
3
: a quantity, number, or section of things dealt with as a unit : block
… seeking to buy and sell a large bloc of shares …—
Stuart Washington
Stuart WashingtonPotvin's outstanding bloc of games during his rookie campaign occurred during the 1993 playoffs.—Stan Fischler
Stan FischlerExamples of bloc in a Sentence
a voting bloc in the senate
a whole bloc of students got together to complain
Recent Examples on the Web
Under this part of its founding treaty, all members of the bloc are to treat an attack on one state as an attack on all.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Last week, news also broke that the EU was proposing a plan that would scale back some of its landmark privacy and AI laws, likely aimed at calming fears that harsher rules are undermining the bloc’s competitiveness.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025
What did not come with it were the increasing gap to rival Republicans or any relent by the dominant voting bloc of the unaffiliated registrations.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 24 Nov. 2025
The bloc was formed in 1999 as a bridge between rich and poor nations to confront global financial crises.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bloc
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.
Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Last week, news also broke that the EU was proposing a plan that would scale back some of its landmark privacy and AI laws, likely aimed at calming fears that harsher rules are undermining the bloc’s competitiveness.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025
What did not come with it were the increasing gap to rival Republicans or any relent by the dominant voting bloc of the unaffiliated registrations.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 24 Nov. 2025
The bloc was formed in 1999 as a bridge between rich and poor nations to confront global financial crises.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bloc
Cite this Entry
“Bloc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloc. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bloc
noun
: a combination of persons, groups, or nations united by treaty, agreement, or common interest
a bloc of voters
Etymology
French, literally, "block"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share