as in member
one of the parts that make up a whole
historically the infantry division has been a basic building block of armies
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Recent Examples of building block
Rich people were never interested in building block after stately block of brownstones.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The e-skin is made from magnetic patches that fit together like building blocks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
But for this team, there’s building blocks for sure.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for building block
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The e-skin is made from magnetic patches that fit together like building blocks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
But for this team, there’s building blocks for sure.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for building block
Recent Examples of Synonyms for building block
Noun
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American is adding fees for seat assignments in basic economy, even for its elite-tier loyalty members.—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
They are often seen dodging screaming church members and security guards until they are ultimately escorted out.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The idea is to remotely control or physically guide the robot’s arm to teach it a task like wiping a table, stacking boxes, or welding a car component.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The second option is to select exercises a person is already familiar with and add a core stability component.—
Matt Parrott,
Arkansas Online,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
All these factors combined lead to more walks.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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This is basically every aerophobic flier’s worst nightmare, and Harlin does a solid job of maintaining the fear factor and shock right up to the moment of Rich’s decision to dump fuel and ditch, since the nearest airport, Guam, is out of range.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Step-backs, deep 3s, power drives, trips to the line – every element of their games was on display, and every possession seemed to raise the stakes.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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Each element contributes to an experience that extends beyond the immediate act of dining.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Starting with a lower-strength formula two nights a week allows your skin to build tolerance without the peeling and redness that drive many people away from the ingredient entirely.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
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The core gameplay loop involved a lot of artificial timers and seemingly endless, repetitive clicking to convert crops into ingredients and then move those ingredients into factories.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Building block.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/building%20block. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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