blocking
Americannoun
noun
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electronics the interruption of anode current in a valve because of the application of a high negative voltage to the grid
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internal congestion in a communication system that prevents the transmission of information
Other Word Forms
- nonblocking adjective
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.
A simple adjustment of the blocking would alleviate the fakery.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Sun accused World Liberty Financial of blocking him from selling a stake he first amassed in the company in late 2024, just after President Trump was elected to a second term.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
For decades, the Great Firewall worked because information control meant controlling distribution channels by blocking websites, filtering search results, and monitoring social media.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
"There are genuine people there with genuine concerns…but those involved in protests who are actively blocking and preventing people from accessing fuel…they have to stop."
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
A flock of furious pheasants was blocking the tracks and stubbornly refused to move.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
