on the block
Idioms-
. Offer for sale, as in These paintings will all be put on the block . This usage alludes to the auction block, the platform from which the auctioneer sells, so called since the mid-1800s.
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put one's head on the block . Take a great risk, make oneself vulnerable, as in I'm not going to put my head on the block just to save her reputation . This usage alludes to the executioner's block, on which victims are beheaded, so called since the mid-1500s.
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.
Other competitors for the semiconductor investment dollar are also new on the block.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
The group’s sprawling production network is also on the block.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The peaceful gathering drew a heavy police presence that took up most of the parking on the block.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Then there's a new kid on the block, a company called Balaena, which recently took over the Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside along with the A&P yards in Tyneside and Falmouth.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
They contributed it to the biggest bonfire on the block.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
