blockhouse

[ blok-hous ]
See synonyms for blockhouse on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural block·hous·es [blok-hou-ziz]. /ˈblɒkˌhaʊ zɪz/.
  1. Military. a fortified structure with ports or loopholes through which defenders may direct gunfire.

  2. Also called garrison house. (formerly) a building, usually of hewn timber and with a projecting upper story, having loopholes for musketry.

  1. a house built of squared logs.

  2. Rocketry. a structure near a launching site for rockets, generally made of heavily reinforced concrete, for housing and protecting personnel, electronic controls, and auxiliary apparatus before and during launching operations.

Origin of blockhouse

1
1505–15; <Middle Dutch blochuus, equivalent to blocblock + huushouse

Words Nearby blockhouse

Other definitions for block house (2 of 2)

block house

noun
  1. Stock Exchange. a firm that specializes in block trades.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use blockhouse in a sentence

  • In the aftermath of the cannon's roar came whoops of delight from nearly a hundred small boys in the blockhouse.

    Shaman | Robert Shea
  • Then they set fire to arrows and shot them at the blockhouse, and they all rushed in through the front gate.

    Shaman | Robert Shea

British Dictionary definitions for blockhouse

blockhouse

/ (ˈblɒkˌhaʊs) /


noun
  1. (formerly) a wooden fortification with ports or loopholes for defensive fire, observation, etc

  2. a concrete structure strengthened to give protection against enemy fire, with apertures to allow defensive gunfire

  1. a building constructed of logs or squared timber

  2. a reinforced concrete building close to a rocket-launching site for protecting personnel and equipment during launching

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012