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.
In its primordial form, liberalism was a political belief that the building block of society is the individual—an idea tethered loosely to the Christian notion that every single human being contains a divine spark.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
Before the clash, there was a sense that a positive performance in Madrid could be used as a building block for Tudor before a crucial game at Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
As any sports psychologist can tell you, it’s a fundamental building block for success.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026
A 30-second hello builds immediate rapport — it turns strangers into friendly faces and makes a building, block, or street feel safer and more human.
From Salon • Jan. 27, 2026
It would be lovely to cuddle up beside her while Georgie sat nearby, building block towers and pretending not to listen.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
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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.