block
The term carries a heavy sense of solidity and immovability. When used physically, it suggests a heavy, stubborn barrier that requires significant effort to remove. It is a word of interruption and cessation, creating a hard stop where there should be flow. In psychological or digital contexts, it describes a total shutdown. A mental block is not a slight hesitation but a complete wall that stops thought, while a digital block is a binary switch that turns access from on to off. This contrast with words like hinder or obstruct, which suggest slowing down rather than stopping entirely.
Countable when referring to a physical object like a toy block or a city block. Uncountable when referring to a mass of material like a block of ice.
Meanings
A solid piece of hard material, typically rectangular.
"He used a concrete block to prop up the door."
The shortest distance between two street intersections in a city.
"I live just one block away from the library."
To obstruct a path or prevent movement or progress.
"The fallen tree blocked the road."