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block off

B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To stop people from using a road, area, or time slot by putting something in the way.

Literal meaning: To place a block across something so it is cut off from use.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To close a road, entrance, or area to prevent people or vehicles from passing through.

"Police blocked off the street after the accident."

Grammar: separable
2 B1 neutral

To reserve a period of time in a schedule so it is unavailable for other activities.

"I've blocked off Friday afternoon for the team presentation."

Grammar: separable
3 B1 neutral

To divide or section off part of a space using barriers or partitions.

"They blocked off the back section of the restaurant for a private party."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Very common and practical. Used for roads, calendar entries, rooms, and time periods. Frequently appears in planning, scheduling, and traffic management contexts.

Commonly used with

road street time area section calendar

Forms

Base
block off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
blocks off
he/she/it
Past simple
blocked off
yesterday
Past participle
blocked off
have + pp
-ing form
blocking off
continuous

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Synonyms

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