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

Scott Swift, 73, learned about the five blockages during a routine medical checkup. —Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025

In advanced cases, some patients may experience urinary obstruction with blockage of the ureter, which connects the kidney to the bladder. —Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2025

Doctors found and cleared a few small blockages in his sinuses, but fortunately, no major issues were detected. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 19 July 2025

As the train whirred over the tracks, the jostling of the train dislodged the blockage in my ear. —Hazlitt, 30 July 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