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writer's block

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noun

a usually temporary condition in which a writer finds it impossible to proceed with the writing of a novel, play, or other work.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THE 12 TYPES OF VERB TENSES!

Loosen up your grammar muscles because it’s time to test your knowledge on verb tenses!

Question 1 of 6

The verb tenses can be split into which 3 primary categories?

action, linking, and helping

dynamic, static, and auxiliary

past, present, and future

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Origin of writer's block

First recorded in 1945–50

Words nearby writer's block

write one's own ticket, write out, write-protect, writer, writerly, writer's block, writer's cramp, write-up, writhe, writhen, writing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use writer's block in a sentence

In his view, a writer has only one duty: to be present in his books.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Spencer, 27, is variously described as a writer and a stand-up comic.
Meet Stephen Fry’s Future Husband (Who Is Less Than Half His Age)|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Decades ago, the writer-director wrote an episode of the animated comedy that never was.
Here’s the Lost Judd Apatow ‘Simpsons’ Episode, Penned by Judd Apatow|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Church bells pealed from St. Catherine of Siena parish one block away.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

“A guy drives up in a 2008 Mercedes, brand new,” Harry S. Connelly Jr. says in the video, according to the Times.
Are Police Stealing People’s Property?|Joan Blades, Matt Kibbe|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
William Woodville died; a distinguished English physician and medical writer.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
With this letter is another by the same writer, dated July 30, 1622—a postscript to a duplicate of the preceding letter.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
The Spanish troops did not care to venture past a block of buildings in which were the offices and stores of a British firm.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Ajoutez cecy, s'il vous plaist, la grande difficult qu'il y a de tirer d'eux les mots mesmes qu'ils ont.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Christopher Bennet died; a distinguished London physician, and writer on medical subjects.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell