- present participle of block.
blocking
Americannoun
noun
-
electronics the interruption of anode current in a valve because of the application of a high negative voltage to the grid
-
internal congestion in a communication system that prevents the transmission of information
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of blocking
Explanation
When you obstruct someone from seeing or doing something, that's blocking. In most sports, blocking your opponent is a huge part of playing the game. Blocking the player who's trying to make a basket is one kind of blocking. There's also blocking a street for the neighborhood block party, or blocking your ex-friend on social media. In each case, you're cutting off access in some way. In theater, the word takes on a different meaning, "the staging of actors." This use stems from the 19th-century theater, when directors would frequently use wooden blocks to plan out the actors' positions on a miniature stage.
Vocabulary lists containing blocking
Academic and Literary Vocabulary, Unit 2
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Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms, Unit 5
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The Black Girl Survives in This One
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Only a year ago, the Eagles had stunned the Rams by blocking a field goal and returning it for a touchdown in the final seconds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
In early mouse embryos, blocking E-cadherin caused dying cells to remain uncleared.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026
Justice Goodwin Liu’s concurring opinion in that case urged local election administrators to be prepared to seek a court order blocking any attempted seizure.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said a "large scale criminal investigation" was under way into the unlawful blocking of Garvaghy Road, which prevented Sunday's parade.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Her eyes flashed crimson for a brief moment, and suddenly a wall of red fire filled the doorway behind the blond woman, blocking off all entry and exit.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
