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 FischlerExamples 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
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism targets imports of aluminum, cement, steel, and other goods that the EU determines are made with more-polluting processes than those allowed within the bloc.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Minnesota’s Somali diaspora With around 84,000 of the state’s roughly 108,000 Somali Americans concentrated in the Twin Cities, the contingent has become a potent voting bloc in the region.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
Campaign finance aside, Somalis are a large and growing voting bloc in Minnesota, and especially in Minneapolis.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 2 Jan. 2026
For one, despite its own warping gravity as the metropole of global capital, New York is an extremely diverse political bloc—one Mamdani has already expertly engaged.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bloc
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Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Minnesota’s Somali diaspora With around 84,000 of the state’s roughly 108,000 Somali Americans concentrated in the Twin Cities, the contingent has become a potent voting bloc in the region.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
Campaign finance aside, Somalis are a large and growing voting bloc in Minnesota, and especially in Minneapolis.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 2 Jan. 2026
For one, despite its own warping gravity as the metropole of global capital, New York is an extremely diverse political bloc—one Mamdani has already expertly engaged.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bloc
Cite this Entry
“Bloc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloc. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
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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