1
a
: a temporary combination of parties in a legislative assembly
b
: a group of legislators who act together for some common purpose irrespective of party lines
2
a
: a combination of persons, groups, or nations forming a unit with a common interest or purpose
a bloc of voters
b
: a group of nations united by treaty or agreement for mutual support or joint action
3
: a quantity, number, or section of things dealt with as a unit : block
… seeking to buy and sell a large bloc of shares …Stuart Washington
Potvin's outstanding bloc of games during his rookie campaign occurred during the 1993 playoffs.Stan Fischler

Examples of bloc in a Sentence

a voting bloc in the senate a whole bloc of students got together to complain
Recent Examples on the Web These are similar to themes that the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, and Apple have been wrangling over for years. Kelvin Chan, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 The lawsuit comes as Apple has been forced to reevaluate many of these long-standing policies in the European Union due to the bloc’s Digital Markets Act. Jon Porter, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024 Arsenals across the bloc’s 27 members have been depleted after two years of weapons and ammunition transfers to Ukraine. Monika Pronczuk, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The problem is that leaders of EU member nations are often inclined to use their defense budgets to promote protectionism and national political interests – goals that in the moment might seem more pressing than increasing the bloc’s production efficiencies. Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Mar. 2024 The 27-nation bloc will also support the government in hosting Sudanese who have fled nearly a year of fighting between rival generals in their country. Samy Magdy, Fortune Europe, 17 Mar. 2024 Moderates are the entry point to the most crucial voting bloc in a general election – independents. David Paleologos, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 The war between Israel and the militant group Hamas, as well as the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House, are adding urgency to the bloc’s efforts to boost its autonomy in defense. Jorge Valero, Bloomberg.com, 14 Mar. 2024 With the 2024 presidential election looming, Hispanic voters continue to be among the most courted – and least understood – voting blocs for candidates up and down the ballot, with their importance increasing along with their numbers. Alyssa Johnson, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bloc.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, block

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bloc was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near bloc

Cite this Entry

“Bloc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloc. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bloc

noun
: a combination of persons, groups, or nations united by treaty, agreement, or common interest
a bloc of voters
Etymology

French, literally, "block"

More from Merriam-Webster on bloc

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