block vs seal

block

verb
  • To prevent (something or someone) from passing. 

  • To hit with a block. 

  • To wait for some condition to become true. 

  • To specify the positions and movements of the actors for (a section of a play or film). 

  • To bar (someone undesirable) from connecting via telephone, instant messaging, etc., or from accessing an online account or service, or similar. 

  • To play a block shot. 

  • To stretch or mould (a knitted item, a hat, etc.) into the desired shape. 

  • To shape or sketch out roughly. 

  • To fill or obstruct (something) so that it is not possible to pass. 

  • To impede (an opponent or opponent's play). 

  • To prevent (something from happening or someone from doing something). 

  • To bar (a message or communication), or bar connection with (an online account or service, a designated telephone number, IP address, etc.). 

noun
  • A temporary or permanent ban that prevents access to an online account or service, or connection to or from a designated telephone number, IP address, or similar. 

  • A wig block: a simplified head model upon which wigs are worn. 

  • A case or frame housing one or more sheaves (pulleys), used with ropes to increase or redirect force, for example as part of lifting gear or a sailing ship's rigging. See also block and tackle. 

  • A cellblock. 

  • The popping crease. 

  • A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit. 

  • A fixed-length group of bits making up part of a message. 

  • A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors (see cluster). 

  • Solitary confinement. 

  • A section of split logs used as fuel. 

  • A blockhole. 

  • A portion of a macromolecule, comprising many units, that has at least one feature not present in adjacent portions. 

  • Something that prevents something from passing. 

  • A physical area or extent of something, often rectangular or approximately rectangular. 

  • A joined group of four (or in some cases nine) postage stamps, forming a roughly square shape. 

  • An action to interfere with the movement of an opposing player or of the object of play (ball, puck). 

  • A contiguous range of Unicode code points used to encode characters of a specific type; can be of any size evenly divisible by 16, up to 65,536 (a full plane). 

  • The perch on which a bird of prey is kept. 

  • A defensive play by one or more players meant to deflect a spiked ball back to the hitter’s court. 

  • A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance. 

  • A mould on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped. 

  • A region of code in a program that acts as a single unit, such as a function or loop. 

  • A contiguous group of urban lots of property, typically several acres in extent, not crossed by public streets. 

  • The position of a player or bat when guarding the wicket. 

  • A chopping block: a cuboid base for cutting or beheading. 

  • The distance from one street to another in a city or suburb that is built (approximately) to a grid pattern. 

  • The human head. 

  • A shot played by holding the bat vertically in the path of the ball, so that it loses momentum and drops to the ground. 

  • A discrete group of vines in a vineyard, often distinguished from others by variety, clone, canopy training method, irrigation infrastructure, or some combination thereof. 

  • Interference or obstruction of cognitive processes. 

  • A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end, forming a cuboid shape. 

  • A roughly cuboid building. 

  • A section of a railroad where the block system is used. 

seal

verb
  • To prevent people or vehicles from crossing (something). 

  • To place a seal on (a document). 

  • To confirm or set apart as a second or additional wife. 

  • To guarantee. 

  • To fasten (something) so that it cannot be opened without visible damage. 

  • To close securely to prevent leakage. 

  • To place in a sealed container. 

  • To tie up animals (especially cattle) in their stalls. 

  • To mark with a stamp, as an evidence of standard exactness, legal size, or merchantable quality. 

  • To form a sacred commitment. 

  • To hunt seals. 

  • To place a notation of one's next move in a sealed envelope to be opened after an adjournment. 

  • To fix, as a piece of iron in a wall, with cement or plaster, etc. 

  • To close by means of a seal. 

  • To fry (meat) at a high temperature to retain the juices. 

noun
  • An impression of such stamp on wax, paper or other material used for sealing. 

  • A bearing representing a creature something like a walrus. 

  • Anything that secures or authenticates. 

  • A tight closure, secure against leakage. 

  • Something which will be visibly damaged if a covering or container is opened, and which may or may not bear an official design. 

  • A chakra. 

  • A design or insignia usually associated with an organization or an official role. 

  • Confirmation or approval, or an indication of this. 

  • A stamp used to impress a design on a soft substance such as wax. 

  • Something designed to prevent liquids or gases from leaking through a joint. 

  • A pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal. 

How often have the words block and seal occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )