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
Rich people were never interested in building block after stately block of brownstones.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 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
See All Example Sentences for building block
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 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
See All Example Sentences for building block
Recent Examples of Synonyms for building block
Noun
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The Israeli military said Hezbollah members launched an anti-tank missile toward IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon earlier today.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
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By the time Khanna and Massie’s bill came up for a vote, in November, only a single member of Congress voted against it, citing concerns about due process—and that was Representative Clay Higgins, a hard-right Republican.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The idea is to remotely control or physically guide the robot’s arm to teach it a task like wiping a table, stacking boxes, or welding a car component.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
26 Apr. 2026
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The second option is to select exercises a person is already familiar with and add a core stability component.—
Matt Parrott,
Arkansas Online,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That could play out again with Cherfilus-McCormick and Mills, though one complicating factor with the Florida Republican is his ethics investigation isn’t as far along.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
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Numerous other factors will also be scrutinized after Monday’s loss, including timeout management and a scoreless fourth quarter by Karl-Anthony Towns.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
It’s broken up into elements water, fire, earth and void.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
One element certainly different is Hollywood itself.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Farideh Sadeghin, who authored The Hot Dog Cookbook, advised shoppers to use meat as a flavor enhancer instead of the main ingredient.—
Hali Smith
April 20,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Apr. 2026
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Cassandra Hutchison, an aesthetician who gives the treatments at the spa, said the ingredient is intended to repair skin and keep inflammation down.—
Aya Diab,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Building block.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/building%20block. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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