building block

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR building block ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

block(def 2).

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

a basic element or component: the building blocks of proteins.

Origin of building block

First recorded in 1840–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for building block

constituent, ingredient, monad, part, piece, segment, unit

British Dictionary definitions for building block

building block

noun

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

a component that fits with others to form a wholestandardized software building blocks

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