1. The act of obstructing or deflecting someone's movements
   "The offensive lineman's blocking allowed the quarterback to make the pass";
   - block
    
2. (theatre) the planned arrangement of actors' movements and positions on stage
   "The director rehearsed the blocking for the final act"
    
3. (psychology) a temporary inability to recall information
   "She experienced blocking when trying to remember the answer under pressure"

1. Render unsuitable for passage
   "block the way"; "block off the streets"; "block up the streets";
   - barricade, blockade, stop, block off, block up, bar
    
2. Hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
   "His brother blocked him at every turn";
   - obstruct, blockade, hinder, stymie, stymy [rare], embarrass [archaic]
    
3. Prevent from happening or developing
   "Block his election";
   - stop, halt, kibosh [informal], kybosh [informal]
    
4. Shut out from view or get in the way so as to hide from sight
   "The thick curtain blocked the action on the stage";
   - obstruct
    
5. Block passage through
   "block the path";
   - obstruct, obturate, impede, occlude, jam, close up
    
6. Fill or become filled to the point of obstruction
   "Her arteries are blocked";
   - stuff, choke up
    
7. Interfere with or prevent the reception of signals
   "block the signals emitted by this station";
   - jam
    
8. Impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball)
   "block an attack";
   - parry, deflect
    
9. Prohibit the conversion or use of (assets)
   "Blocked funds";
   - freeze, immobilize, immobilise [Brit]
    
10. Interrupt the normal function of by means of anaesthesia
    "block a nerve"; "block a muscle"
     
11. Run on a block system
    "block trains"
     
12. Stamp or emboss a title or design on a book with a block
    "block the book cover"
     
13. Be unable to remember
    "You are blocking the name of your first wife!";
    - forget, blank out, draw a blank, disremember [US, informal]
     
14. Shape by using a block
    "Block a hat"; "block a garment"
     
15. Shape into a block or blocks
    "block the graphs so one can see the results clearly"
     
16. Support, secure, or raise with a block
    "block a plate for printing"; "block the wheels of a car"

Derived forms: blockings

Type of: anaesthetise [Brit], anaesthetize [Brit, Cdn], anesthetize [N. Amer], back up, boss, cerebrate, choke, choke off, clog, clog up, cogitate, conceal, congest, cut off, disrupt, emboss, entrammel [literary], fence, fetter [literary], forbid, foreclose, forestall, form, foul, hide, hinder, hold, hold up, impede, interrupt, keep back, obstruction, operate, preclude, prevent, put out, put under, run, shape, stamp, support, sustain, think, trammel [literary], withhold

Antonym: loosen up, release

Encyclopedia: Blocking