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.
Palmer had been the new kid on the block in Gareth Southgate's squad two years ago - after only making his first start in a pre-tournament friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Shortly to join the new bulls on the block?
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
The police truck idled for a moment before reversing down the street, drawing a round of applause from the crowd that had formed on the block.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
When you don’t listen to the world’s greatest investor, and he also happens to control a huge chunk of your shares, don’t be surprised when they’re put on the block.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
Wes’s home was among the few on the block without flowers or colorful decoration in the front.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
