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
Stuart WashingtonPotvin's outstanding bloc of games during his rookie campaign occurred during the 1993 playoffs.—Stan Fischler
Stan FischlerSynonyms
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
Weeks of farmer protests compelled the EU in May to extend subsidy allowances by six months to support the 27-nation bloc's agricultural sector.
—Fox News, 3 June 2024
In a joint op-ed published in the Financial Times on Monday, Macron and Scholz called for progress on a capital markets union that encourages companies to fund growth and Europeans to invest savings within the bloc.
—Ania Nussbaum, Fortune Europe, 28 May 2024
The last European country to recognize the state of Palestine was Sweden, in 2014, but other members of the EU in central and eastern Europe had already done so before joining the bloc, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
—Willem Marx, NPR, 22 May 2024
If political independents now make up the largest political bloc in the United States, why aren’t major networks like CNN ensuring that all voices are heard in line with the democratic principles our nation values?
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for bloc 
Fox News, 3 June 2024
In a joint op-ed published in the Financial Times on Monday, Macron and Scholz called for progress on a capital markets union that encourages companies to fund growth and Europeans to invest savings within the bloc.
—Ania Nussbaum, Fortune Europe, 28 May 2024
The last European country to recognize the state of Palestine was Sweden, in 2014, but other members of the EU in central and eastern Europe had already done so before joining the bloc, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
—Willem Marx, NPR, 22 May 2024
If political independents now make up the largest political bloc in the United States, why aren’t major networks like CNN ensuring that all voices are heard in line with the democratic principles our nation values?
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for bloc
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.
Dictionary Entries Near bloc
Cite this Entry
“Bloc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloc. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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"
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