noun
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a block of stone or other material, larger than a brick, used in building
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a component that fits with others to form a whole
standardized software building blocks
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another name for (the child's toy) block
Etymology
Origin of building block
First recorded in 1840–50
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.
Researchers are especially interested in Psyche because it may represent the exposed metallic core of an ancient planetesimal, a building block of planets that formed early in the solar system's history.
From Science Daily • May 23, 2026
Can Carleton be a building block player for a new franchise?
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
It will be a building block and a key ingredient in every new “unicorn” — a company with a valuation of at least $1 billion.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
That causes the molecule to crack into hydrogen and ethylene, the basic building block of plastics such as polyethylene.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
It also provided a key building block in one of the most crucial, emerging principles of the science of attention: There is a tension going on inside the brain.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
