Diagnosed at age 3 with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that clogs the lungs with sticky mucus, Smith grew up with doctors expecting a cure to arrive in time to save her.
—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2026
The fine powder clogs their digestive systems and prevents them from eating plants.
According to the team at the Francis Crick Institute, adult fruit flies have a hydrophobic lipid coating made of long hydrocarbon molecules that blocks water loss.
—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2026
The idea is that, although their paralysis blocks the neural signals from reaching their muscles, those signals are still generated in the brain.
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.