block S2 W2 / blɒk $ blɑk / 名词 [可数名词] #

1 solid material a piece of hard material such as wood or stone with straight sides → breeze-block , building block , cinder block

block of

a block of ice

a wall made of concrete blocks

2 streets/area

a) American English the distance along a city street from where one street crosses it to the next :

Head for 44th Street, a few blocks east of Sixth Avenue.

The church is down the block.

b) the four city streets that form a square around an area of buildings :

Let’s walk round the block.

She grew up playing with the other kids on the block.

c) Australian English a large piece of land :

a ten-acre block near the city

3 large building a large building divided into separate parts

block of

a block of flats

an office block

an apartment block

the school science block

4 quantity of things a quantity of things of the same kind, considered as a single unit

block of

New employees receive a block of shares in the firm.

Set aside blocks of time for doing your homework.

5 block booking/voting an arrangement that is made for a whole group to buy something or to vote together

6 inability to think [通常单数形式] the temporary loss of your normal ability to think, learn, write etc :

I have a mental block whenever I try to remember my password.

After his second novel, Garland had writer’s block (= he could not write anything ) .

7 stopping movement [通常单数形式] something that prevents movement or progress

block to

a major block to progress → roadblock , stumbling block

8 punishment the block in the past, a solid block of wood on which someone’s head was cut off as a punishment

9 put your head/neck on the block to risk destroying other people’s opinion of you or losing your job by doing or saying something :

I’m not prepared to put my head on the block for him.

10 sport a movement in sport that stops an opponent going forward or playing the ball forward

11 sell go on the block to be sold, especially at an auction :

$500 million worth of art will go on the block.

→ block capitals , tower block , → be a chip off the old block at chip 1 ( 7 ) , → I’ll knock your block off at knock 1 ( 24 )

COLLOCATIONS

types of block

a block of flats British English Three new blocks of flats were built on the land.

an apartment block I met him at his apartment block in Manhattan.

an office block She works in a 27-storey office block.

a tower block (= very high and usually in a poor area ) She lived on the 17th floor of a tower block in East London.

a tenement block (= an apartment block, usually in a poor area - used especially in Scotland ) We had a tiny flat in an Edinburgh tenement block.

a high-rise block (= very high ) The area is full of monstrous concrete high-rise blocks.

a multi-storey block (= having many levels ) Many shops and offices have been rebuilt in high multi-storey blocks.

block S3 verb [及物动词] #

1 ( also block up ) to prevent anything moving through a space by being or placing something across it or in it :
A fallen tree is blocking the road. The sink’s blocked up. 2 block sb’s way/path/exit/escape etc to stand in front of someone, so that they cannot go past :
I tried to get through, but there were people blocking my way. 3 to stop something happening, developing, or succeeding :
The Senate blocked publication of the report. laws designed to block imports of cheap tobacco 4 block sb’s view to be in front of someone, so that they cannot see something :
The huge building across the street blocked our view of the sea. 5 ( also block out ) to stop light reaching a place :
Can you move? You’re blocking my light. 6 to stop a ball, a blow etc from getting to where your opponent wants it to :
a shot blocked by the goalkeeper

block somebody/something ↔ in phrasal verb 1 to park your car too close to another car, so that the other one cannot drive away 2 to paint or draw simple shapes or areas of colour :
I’ll just block in the main buildings.

block sth↔ off phrasal verb to completely close something such as a road or an opening :
Police blocked off the city centre streets. The fireplace had been blocked off.

block sth↔ out 1 to stop light reaching a place :
There was a heavy curtain blocking out the light. 2 to stop yourself thinking about something or remembering it :
a memory so terrible that she tried to block it out