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Synonyms

building block

American  

noun

  1. block.

  2. one of a set of cube-shaped blocks used by children to make simple constructions.

  3. a basic element or component.

    the building blocks of proteins.
building block British  

noun

  1. a block of stone or other material, larger than a brick, used in building

  2. a component that fits with others to form a whole

    standardized software building blocks

  3. another name for (the child's toy) block

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

"This Picasso initiative is one more building block so that one day Alzheimer's will be nothing more than a bad memory," the foundation's head Olivier de Ladoucette said, the AFP news agency reported.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Their design could also be integrated with other quantum technologies, serving as a building block for connecting different types of quantum platforms.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 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

As any sports psychologist can tell you, it’s a fundamental building block for success.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

This method is based on the slow decay of radioactive carbon 14, a very minor component of carbon, the ubiquitous building block of life, into the nonradioactive isotope nitrogen 14.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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.