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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for building blocks
Noun
-
Instead of postponing filming to resolve the labor dispute, producers pushed forward, crew members alleged.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Some people who struggled to walk were brought to the Mass in wheelbarrows pushed by family members.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The researchers controlled for rents and other economic factors, though Leifheit said the findings still should be interpreted cautiously.—
Meg Tanaka,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Katie Sams, a teacher at one of the district’s alternative high schools, said her students are often older and dealing with complicated factors in their lives.—
Melanie Asmar,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Make sure to have all of your ingredients prepped, measured, and ready to go.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The use of local ingredients, often from Canty's own farm, takes the mixology to a whole new level—try the Lavender Bee's Knees, which uses lavender and honey cultivated by Canty herself.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Engineers feared that any further decline could trigger the spacecraft’s undervoltage fault protection system, which is designed to automatically shut down components to protect the probe.—
Eric Mack,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The plant, which was the state’s largest maker of panelized components, struggled under the weight of reduced demand because of higher interest rates and fluctuating lumber costs.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The perfect summertime backyard should include a few elements, and one of those is a fire pit.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The Boyd window has undergone conservation in the past, including restoration work in the 1990s to address deteriorating elements.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Building blocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/building%20blocks. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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