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blocking

n.
US //ˈbɫɑkɪŋ// UK //blˈɒkɪŋ// block·ing
  1. 1 an obstruction (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the act of stopping something from moving or passing through.

    the act of obstructing or hindering movement or progress. Often used in a physical or metaphorical sense to describe a stoppage.

    Example

    The blocking of the main road caused a huge traffic jam this morning.

    Example

    The sudden blocking of the drainage pipe led to significant flooding in the basement during the heavy rainstorm.

  2. 2 theatre/film (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Theatre

    the plan for where actors should stand and move on a stage.

    the precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage or film set to facilitate a performance and ensure correct camera angles.

    Example

    The director spent the afternoon working on the blocking for the final scene.

    Example

    The complex blocking required the lead actress to move precisely between three different light sources without shadowing her co-star.

    Usage

    Usually uncountable when referring to the general process of staging.

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  1. 3 computing/electronics (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a feature that stops a computer or device from doing two things at once by mistake.

    a technical constraint or artifact, such as preventing ghosting on a keyboard or visual errors in digital signals processed in blocks.

    Example

    This gaming keyboard has special blocking to prevent errors when you press many keys.

    Example

    The engineer noted significant blocking artifacts in the compressed video stream, indicating that the bitrate was too low for the resolution.

Idioms1 entry

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