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building block
noun
: a unit of construction or composition
especially
: something essential on which a larger entity is based
Synonyms
Examples of building block in a Sentence
historically the infantry division has been a basic building block of armies
Recent Examples on the Web
Other worlds Two studies released Wednesday revealed the asteroid contained many of the chemical building blocks of life, such as amino acids and components found in DNA.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025
One thing that is clear is learning more about these obelisks could reveal more about the building blocks of life itself.
—Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
The large language models are just the building blocks.
—Katie Fehrenbacher, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025
The findings in the Nature Astronomy paper were significant not just for the discovery of the five RNA and DNA precursors, but for the presence of abundant levels of ammonia, which is a key chemical building block for life.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
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Word History
First Known Use
1756, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near building block
Cite this Entry
“Building block.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/building%20block. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
building block
noun
: a unit of construction or composition
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