Reading Theme:
Block List Meaning: Definition and Usage Guide (2 meaning)
Meaning 1：list of blocked contacts (Block List)
Block List
/blɒk lɪst/
n.
A list of specific people, numbers, or addresses that you don‘t want your phone, email, or app to receive messages or calls from.
list of blocked contacts
➕
/lɪst ʌv blɒkt ˈkɒntækts/
n.
A personalized list that prevents specified individuals, phone numbers, or email addresses from reaching your device or inbox.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
Block (from Old French 'bloc') + list (from Old English 'liste') = a catalog of blocked entries.
💡 Mnemonic
Think of a bouncer at a club holding a list of banned guests—that's your block list.
📖 Example
My phone became much quieter after I added those sales call numbers to my block list.
My phone became much quieter after I added those sales call numbers to my block list.
🔗 Collocations
add to block list – to include a contact in the block list
remove from block list – to delete a contact from the block list
block list management – the process of administering a block list
🔄 Synonyms
blacklist (n.) – a list of people or organizations to be avoided or banned
reject list (n.) – a list of recipients to be rejected
blocked senders list (n.) – a list of email addresses or phone numbers that are blocked
🚫 Antonyms
allowlist (n.) – a list of approved contacts or content
whitelist (n.) – a list of entities that are permitted
permitted list (n.) – a list of allowed items
🌱 Derivatives
block-listed (adj.) – included in a block list
blocklisting (n.) – the act of creating or maintaining a block list
📖 Cultural Story
The term 'block list' gained widespread use in the 1990s with email spam filters and phone call blocking, describing a user-defined set of contacts to reject.
Meaning 2：automated filter list (Block List)
Block List
/blɒk lɪst/
n.
A list set up in software or a system to automatically filter out or block content, emails, or access requests that don‘t meet certain rules.
automated filter list
➕
/ˌɔːtəmeɪtɪd ˈfɪltə lɪst/
n.
A set of rules or items configured in software to automatically discard or restrict unwanted content, messages, or access requests.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
The email system uses a block list of suspicious keywords to filter out most spam before it reaches our inbox.
The email system uses a block list of suspicious keywords to filter out most spam before it reaches our inbox.
🔗 Collocations
maintain a block list – to regularly update the list of blocked items
block list rules – the criteria used to determine what is blocked
automatic block list – a list that updates itself based on learned patterns
🔄 Synonyms
filter list (n.) – a list used to separate wanted from unwanted content
deny list (n.) – a list of items that are denied access
exclusion list (n.) – a list of items to be excluded
🚫 Antonyms
allow list (n.) – a list of approved items or entities
permit list (n.) – a list of permitted content
inclusion list (n.) – a list of items to be included
🌱 Derivatives
block-list-based (adj.) – relying on a block list for filtering
block listing (n.) – the practice of using block lists
Wordbook
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