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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While the European Union will likely to try negotiate with the Trump administration to avoid tariffs, the bloc will also have to be prepared to implement retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. and enter a potential trade war with a key partner. Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters last month that the bloc is considering buying more from the U.S. to offset its reliance on Russian LNG. William Gavin, Quartz, 20 Dec. 2024 Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said that the bloc was also ready to provide support. Nazaneen Ghaffar, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2024 The bloc needs eight MPs from the ruling party to vote in favour of the impeachment, and several ruling lawmakers have indicated their intention to do so in the next vote, scheduled for Saturday. Amanda Gerut, Fortune Asia, 12 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bloc 

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 26 Dec. 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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