Unblock (Verb)
Meaning 1
Clear or remove an obstruction from; "the procedure unblocked his arteries".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The doctor decided to unblock the patient's airway to restore her breathing.
- Experts suggest drinking plenty of water to help unblock the nasal passages during a cold.
- Exercise and diet helped unblock the arteries and improve her overall heart health.
- The plumber used a drain snake to unblock the clogged pipes in the kitchen.
- The emergency responders worked to unblock the exit doors of the burning building to allow evacuees to escape safely.
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
Play the cards of (a suit) so that the last trick on which a hand can follow suit will be taken by a higher card in the hand of a partner who has the remaining cards of a combined holding.
Classification
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities.
Examples
- The declarer had to carefully plan his moves to unblock the diamonds and set up a winning trick for his partner.
- Using a clever combination of card play, the declarer was able to unblock the spades and allow his partner to take the trick.
- The goal in this hand was to unblock the clubs and position the partner to take the last club trick.
- By unblocking the hearts, the declarer enabled his partner to make a key play that changed the course of the hand.
- The declarer's efforts to unblock the spades eventually paid off, securing the deciding trick for his partner.
Meaning 3
Make (assets) available; "release the holdings in the dictator's bank account".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The court ordered the government to unblock the frozen assets of the wrongly accused businessman to help him recover from the financial losses.
- After months of negotiations, the international community agreed to unblock the dictator's seized funds and transfer them to an account that would support the country's recovery efforts.
- The judge's ruling was to unblock the account and repatriate the citizen's money held overseas.
- Due to the change in government policies, the new administration decided to unblock the previously frozen assets of the targeted groups.
- The UN Security Council voted to unblock the international sanctions and permit the transfer of humanitarian aid funds to regions hit by natural disasters.