as in members
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 blocks
In the video, Bill Riley, a vice president of Starship engineering, cast endeavors like SpaceX's smaller Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, as well as its Dragon spacecraft that travels in orbit, as building blocks to the grander unveiling of Starship.
—
Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Players like Buium, Tom Willander and Liam Öhgren may be building blocks, perhaps, but the reality is that this process is beginning without any surefire cornerstone pieces in place.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Such a meal should include a good source of protein, such as eggs, in order to stock up on or refuel depleted amino acids, including cysteine and methionine, which are building blocks for protective antioxidants.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Every day, practice, period, rep, snap and second are building blocks to something bigger.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Arginine is an amino acid (which are building blocks of proteins) that helps protect hair whereas the lipids help to protect the hair against thermal and UV damage from styling.
—Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026
The e-skin is made from magnetic patches that fit together like building blocks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Players like Buium, Tom Willander and Liam Öhgren may be building blocks, perhaps, but the reality is that this process is beginning without any surefire cornerstone pieces in place.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Such a meal should include a good source of protein, such as eggs, in order to stock up on or refuel depleted amino acids, including cysteine and methionine, which are building blocks for protective antioxidants.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Every day, practice, period, rep, snap and second are building blocks to something bigger.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Arginine is an amino acid (which are building blocks of proteins) that helps protect hair whereas the lipids help to protect the hair against thermal and UV damage from styling.
—Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026
The e-skin is made from magnetic patches that fit together like building blocks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for building blocks
Noun
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Many questions from the fair rent commission members on Saturday focused on Sun Communities’ profits compared to the cost of the rent increase to residents.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
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Because three of the council’s nine members were absent, the council was essentially deadlocked 3-3 on the bus stops.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
Noun
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The volatility can be partly attributed to several factors, including weather, labor strikes, lower-than-typical post-holiday layoffs, and recalibrations to how the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates payroll changes at new and closed businesses (referred to as the birth-death model).—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
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But after a few decades, economic and geopolitical factors led the companies to close the factories, sinking local economies and in some cases leaving behind toxic contamination.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Much of the ingredients will be sources directly from Greece, including olive oil, olives, feta cheese and grape leaves.—
Sarah Kyrcz,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
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This savory bread pudding has tons of flavor and texture from ingredients like French bread that's been baked in a rich Parmesan custard.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Lewis-Skelly and Calafiori continued to provide balance against Atletico three days later, and were also key components to Arsenal’s strong start against West Ham, alongside Leandro Trossard.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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For example, say the Heat were to instead pursue Lauri Markkanen perhaps with Kel’el Ware and Tyler Herro as the hook and then learn those two components could have closed a Giannis deal?—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
While elements of his defensive flaws are overplayed, Tuchel has clearly felt that his negatives outweigh the positives.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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The rooms While the furnishings largely remained the same during the renovation work, the fabrics and artistic elements have changed in recent years.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Building blocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/building%20blocks. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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