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mental block

British

noun

See 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

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.

But she suffered the "twisties" -- a mental block triggered by stress or anxiety -- and withdrew from events to prioritise her mental health.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

After losing to Ostapenko in Stuttgart last season, Swiatek disputed she had a mental block, saying her head "was much more clear" than previous matches.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026

"There is this mental block in Australia and also this emotional block - a fear of abandonment, this idea that we can't defend ourselves alone. But we absolutely can if we have to."

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2025

Biles, struggling with a mental block that prevented her from being able to control her body in the air, cheered from the mostly empty stands in Tokyo.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2024

“No, I couldn’t do it. A mental block or something ... I don’t know, just creepy.”

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023