noun
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the act of blocking or state of being blocked
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an object causing an obstruction
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of blockage
Explanation
Something that physically obstructs or blocks an opening or tube is a blockage. A blockage in your sink drain can make it overflow. There are two main kinds of blockages — the first affects your plumbing, impeding water from flowing through your pipes. The other type of blockage is a medical condition, affecting your circulatory system. The blockage in your uncle's arteries might mean he needs surgery. The noun blockage, from about 1827, comes from block, "solid piece," from the Old French bloc, "block of wood."
Vocabulary lists containing blockage
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -age
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-age, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
"With a blockage still lodged upstream on the Nepal-China border river, authorities warn a second flood may occur," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
The second case involved a three-year-old boy who needed surgery for a kidney blockage.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
But the sinus’s drainage pathways go direct into the nose, making it prone to regular blockage and infection, a developmental byproduct rather than a purposeful adaptation.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
“For markets, the Strait is the only thing that matters, because its blockage was most pernicious for the global economy,” said Thierry Wizman, a strategist at Macquarie Group.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
The autopsy report she later received showed my father had had ninety-percent blockage of the arteries before he died of a heart attack at the age of seventy-four.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
That is despite blockages in the Strait of Hormuz continuing during the period, and a succession of false starts on Iran peace talks that have whipsawed markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
To help ease blockages at the airport, an "automated people mover" train connecting it to the city's sparse subway system was scheduled to go into service in 2023.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
NIW said it had not been made aware of any issues in the River Strule, but that blockages could add to pollution incidents urging people to be mindful.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
These blockages interfere with the brain's ability to clear harmful substances and may appear well before clear dementia symptoms develop.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 3, 2026
The net’s original designers dealt with that imperfection by providing for the network to steer data away from blockages or other problems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025
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.
