as in impeding
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1
as in filling
to close up so that no empty spaces remain
block up the opening in the wall where a window once was
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obstructing
to prevent passage through by filling with something
one of the patient's arteries was so blocked with fatty deposits that blood flow had been reduced to a trickle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in intercepting
to stop, seize, or interrupt while in progress or on course
a thug suddenly stepped out of a doorway and blocked his escape down the alley
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blocking
Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
Ili New York Mini Crossbody Bag This fashion-forward option is made from genuine leather with RFID-blocking pockets.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei issued a fiery first public statement yesterday, vowing to keep blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route and attacking Gulf states.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026
If shrubs or trees in your yard are blocking the sun, the grass won't thrive, and moss may fill in the space.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
The Israeli military later posted a second message in Farsi, noting the head of Iran’s judiciary was at the rally and criticizing Iran for blocking many from seeing their warning.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Last year, Salyer was the second-best pass-blocking offensive lineman on a Chargers line that struggled to protect quarterback Justin Herbert, as graded by Pro Football Focus.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
Widely considered the best run-blocking tight end available ahead of free agency, Kolar should help an uneven Chargers running attack that forced coach Jim Harbaugh to often rely too much on quarterback Justin Herbert — even when his running backs were healthy.
—Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In July 2024, Rebel Wilson posted a video accusing the film’s producers, including Amanda Ghost, Gregory Cameron, and Vince Holden, of blocking The Deb from premiering at TIFF.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The winner was the player who avoided being blocked the longest — a blocking game, a category of strategy game where the objective centers on restricting your opponent’s movement.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
The Israeli military later posted a second message in Farsi, noting the head of Iran's judiciary was at the rally and criticizing Iran for blocking many from seeing their warning, as authorities in Iran have almost completely shut down internet access.
—Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
Ili New York Mini Crossbody Bag This fashion-forward option is made from genuine leather with RFID-blocking pockets.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei issued a fiery first public statement yesterday, vowing to keep blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route and attacking Gulf states.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026
If shrubs or trees in your yard are blocking the sun, the grass won't thrive, and moss may fill in the space.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
The Israeli military later posted a second message in Farsi, noting the head of Iran’s judiciary was at the rally and criticizing Iran for blocking many from seeing their warning.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Last year, Salyer was the second-best pass-blocking offensive lineman on a Chargers line that struggled to protect quarterback Justin Herbert, as graded by Pro Football Focus.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
Widely considered the best run-blocking tight end available ahead of free agency, Kolar should help an uneven Chargers running attack that forced coach Jim Harbaugh to often rely too much on quarterback Justin Herbert — even when his running backs were healthy.
—Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In July 2024, Rebel Wilson posted a video accusing the film’s producers, including Amanda Ghost, Gregory Cameron, and Vince Holden, of blocking The Deb from premiering at TIFF.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blocking
Verb
-
Even as the Hudson Theatre was still filling up, the star of the Harry Potter movie franchise (and much theater after that) was bobbing and flitting from row to row, exuding equal parts friendliness and determination of purpose.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Even as the Hudson Theatre is still filling up, the star of the Harry Potter movie franchise, and much theater subsequent to that, is already flitting from row to row, exuding equal parts friendliness and determination of purpose.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In addition to murder, cops charged Simboo with obstructing government administration and concealment of a human corpse.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Shields pleaded guilty to seven charges, including felony counts of obstructing justice and theft by deception.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the 66th minute, Ary Borges stepped in front of a Chicago defender, intercepting a pass from goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and slipped the ball into the back of the net.—
Damian Calhoun,
Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Produced by Damai Entertainment, the film stars Jackson Yee and Zhu Yilong as elite agents in a specialized National Security unit tasked with intercepting a spy ring attempting to leak classified information.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Her mother did the same—packing sack lunches for daylong jaunts through the maritime oak forest—even into her nineties.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
-
People living at the building at 11930 NE 19th Drive began packing their belongings on Wednesday after the city posted notices on their doors.—
Nikiya Carrero,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This is much more efficient and powerful than GaAs, which translates to longer detection range, better jamming resistance, and lower power consumption.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
-
After sharing some genuine musical chemistry onstage, Rick spends the night getting drunk and jamming with Danny in his hotel room.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The news led Deadline to pose the question of whether happenstance means Cannes might struggle to add headline-grabbing movies this year, with several other blockbusters unlikely to screen there.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Video of that incident shows Peters grabbing the other woman and shoving her into the center of a hallway.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
No one in my generation remembers the huge labor force of switchboard operators, but in the 1950s there were 340,000 workers physically plugging cords into jacks to connect callers to one another (roughly equivalent to the number of dental assistants today).—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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The latter two moves shore up the bottom of the roster, plugging the last remaining holes this team has, while the Kadri add is arguably the biggest needle-moving acquisition of the deadline.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
If the cameras and heat sensors around the house detect danger, the system can envelop the home in over 1,000 gallons of fire retardant and hundreds of gallons of fire-suppressing foam.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reports that exposure to chlorine, a flame retardant, at 60 micrograms per gram for 60 minutes or more through inhalation can lead to lung irritation and impaired function.—
Aude Konan,
Scientific American,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blocking. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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