building block
noun
: a unit of construction or composition
especially
: something essential on which a larger entity is based
Synonyms
Examples of building block in a Sentence
historically the infantry division has been a basic building block of armies
Recent Examples on the Web
Hard Science What the famous Miller-Urey experiment got wrong
The Miller-Urey experiment showed that the building blocks of life could form in the primordial soup.
—
Big Think, 24 June 2024
Beijing sent a warning notice to its pharmaceutical industry and shut down 25 Chinese companies selling fentanyl precursors — the chemical building blocks of a drug that accounts for the majority of more than 70,000 synthetic opioid overdose deaths a year in the United States.
—Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 20 June 2024
Only a minuscule sliver of the genetic material that most plant and animal cells lug around actually contains direct instructions for how to make the building blocks that make up living things.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
In her writing, LaHaye presented the patriarchal nuclear family as the most basic building block of a stable society.
—Emily Suzanne Johnson / Made By History, TIME, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for building block 
Big Think, 24 June 2024
Beijing sent a warning notice to its pharmaceutical industry and shut down 25 Chinese companies selling fentanyl precursors — the chemical building blocks of a drug that accounts for the majority of more than 70,000 synthetic opioid overdose deaths a year in the United States.
—Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 20 June 2024
Only a minuscule sliver of the genetic material that most plant and animal cells lug around actually contains direct instructions for how to make the building blocks that make up living things.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
In her writing, LaHaye presented the patriarchal nuclear family as the most basic building block of a stable society.
—Emily Suzanne Johnson / Made By History, TIME, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for building block
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'building block.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near building block
Cite this Entry
“Building block.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/building%20block. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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