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

This happens either because of blockage of your airway (obstructive sleep apnea) or because your brain doesn’t control your breathing as expected (central sleep apnea). — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026

This prompted the team to develop a way to spot such blockages early. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026

For someone who cannot safely step around a robot or leave the sidewalk, a temporary blockage can become a serious obstacle. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

If swallowed, the magnets can attract each other or metal objects inside the body, potentially causing intestinal perforations, twisting, blockages, blood poisoning, or death, the CPSC says. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1724, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for blockage

• dockage
• lockage
• socage

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