blockage

noun

block·​age ˈblä-kij 

: an act or instance of obstructing : the state of being blocked

a blockage in a coronary artery

Examples of blockage in a Sentence

He had surgery to open up blockages in his arteries.

trying to prevent blockage of the artery

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, with resources dwindling in Ukraine amid the Republican blockage of a $60 billion aid package proposed by the Biden administration, Moscow appears to be capitalizing on a moment of weakness. —Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024

Flume told me about a recent patient whose baby was showing signs of an intestinal blockage and whose insurance initially denied Trikafta. —Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1724, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

blockage

noun

block·​age ˈbläk-ij 

: an act or instance of blocking : the state of being blocked

a blockage in an artery

Medical Definition

blockage

noun

block·​age ˈbläk-ij 

: the action of blocking or the state of being blocked: as

a

: blockade sense 2

b

: internal resistance to understanding a communicated idea, to learning new material, or to adopting a new mode of response because of existing habitual ways of thinking, perceiving, and acting compare blocking

Legal Definition

blockage

noun

block·​age

: the condition of a large block of items of property (as shares of stock) that requires special valuation for purposes of estate and gift tax because the value of the items sold as a block differs from their value if sold individually