cordon

1 of 2

noun

cor·​don ˈkȯr-dᵊn 

-ˌdän

1

a

: an ornamental cord or ribbon

untied the cordon that fastened his cloak

b

: stringcourse

2

a

: a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage

b

: a line of persons or objects around a person or place

a cordon of police

3

: an espalier especially of a fruit tree trained as a single horizontal shoot or two diverging horizontal shoots in a single line

cordon

2 of 2

verb

cordoned; cordoning; cordons

transitive verb

: to form a protective or restrictive cordon (see cordon entry 1 sense 2) around

—usually used with off

Police cordoned off the area around the crime scene.

Examples of cordon in a Sentence

Noun

A cordon of police kept protesters away from the building.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While a few trucks bearing the logo of the Syrian security forces circulated in the city and community leaders said government forces had formed a cordon around Jaramana, most of the men with guns — including most of those killed — were residents who had organized to defend themselves, locals said. —Nanna Heitmann, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Reuters photos from the aftermath of the incident showed paramedics and ambulances at the scene, with police cordons visible. —Lucas Lilieholm, CNN Money, 27 Apr. 2025

Verb

While there are no actual doors dividing living spaces in this condo, the arched doorways are covered by thick privacy curtains to cordon each space off from one another. —Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 5 Apr. 2025

This keeps it front of mind and cordons it off from other food. —Caitlin Penzeymoog, Vox, 4 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English coordone "cord worn in token of victory," borrowed from Middle French cordon "small cord, bowstring," going back to Old French, from corde "rope, string" + -on, diminutive suffix (going back to Latin -ō, -ōn-, suffix of nouns denoting persons with a prominent feature) — more at cord entry 1

Note: The sense "alignment of objects" appears to have originated in French in the 17th century; the military use ("line of military posts," etc.) is attested in French in the 18th century not long before it first appeared in English.

Verb

derivative of cordon entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cordon

• cordon bleu
• cordon off
• cordon sanitaire

Rhymes for cordon

• warden
• churchwarden

Kids Definition

cordon

noun

cor·​don

ˈkȯrd-ᵊn,

ˈkȯ(ə)r-ˌdän

1

: an ornamental cord used especially on costumes

2

: a line of persons or things around a person or place

a cordon of police

3

: a cord or ribbon worn as a badge or decoration