as in member
one of the parts that make up a whole
historically the infantry division has been a basic building block of armies
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Recent Examples of building block
But for this team, there’s building blocks for sure.
—
Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
The ecstasy of love and the fear of passing poison through one’s blood are, for Dijon, building blocks as elemental as drums.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 8 Dec. 2025
Carbon turns building block Rahbar says the global dependence on concrete urgently needs rethinking.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for building block
Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
The ecstasy of love and the fear of passing poison through one’s blood are, for Dijon, building blocks as elemental as drums.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 8 Dec. 2025
Carbon turns building block Rahbar says the global dependence on concrete urgently needs rethinking.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for building block
Recent Examples of Synonyms for building block
Noun
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Mosley was an assistant coach on Team USA and Flagg scrimmaged against the Olympic roster as a member of the Select Team.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Staff member Brandon Richards, who made $136,000 last year, is tasked with quickly dispatching responses to information the governor’s team deems inaccurate or misleading that is spread on social media and in the media.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Because of these advantages, amorphous metals have previously been used in specialized electrical components such as transformers, but applying them to automotive traction motors represents a more recent advancement.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
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The city has already spent approximately $17 million on an office building for staff, and public funds will finance the civic components promoted in One Boca’s campaign messaging.—
Andrea Levine O’Rourke,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This particular stat is across all 401(k) participants, regardless of age and time spent saving, among other factors.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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Due to a combination of factors, including radiation from the shining stars, stellar cataclysms, and virialization effects, the remnant normal matter then gets ejected, with either very few or possibly even no stars existing where the main galactic body normally is.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The proposal preserves elements of the past by focusing future development on specific portions of the lot along Melrose and limited areas in the production core, architecture firm Rios said.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The sprawling nature of Maryland’s budget, which exceeds $65 billion, and its notorious high-profile cases of political corruption also add an element of vigilance and caution to the definition.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Most structures feature lush green roofs and an on-site farm provides many of the ingredients used in the restaurant.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
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Don’t leave without a treatment at the Jade Spa, which uses local ingredients like almond oil, raw cocoa, and fresh coconut milk.—
Annie Daly,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Building block.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/building%20block. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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