blockade 1 of 2

as in siege
the cutting off of an area by military means to stop the flow of people or supplies it was the blockade of all the enemy's major ports that finally won the war

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blockade

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to guard
to disallow entry into (a place) by means of a physical barrier at the entry point the militant protestors blockaded the whole area around city hall

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2
as in to besiege
to surround (as a fortified place) with armed forces for the purpose of capturing or preventing commerce and communication blockaded the city until it surrendered

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blockade
Noun
Lawmakers were able to get past the military blockade and later voted to reject the move. Sophia Vento, The Hill, 8 Mar. 2025 Israel has since imposed a full blockade, leading to fears of starvation in Gaza. Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
The energy of the continuous motion is never blockaded by a dead end. Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025 In 1990, Papua New Guinea blockaded the islands with gunboats, but the BRA’s numbers swelled nonetheless. Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for blockade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blockade
Noun
  • Israel says the siege aims at pressuring Hamas to accept its ceasefire proposal.
    Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
  • That was a reference to Trump’s pardon of rioters who injured police officers in the siege of the Capitol.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Absolutely crucial, and it's parked geographically and guards the approaches to the North Atlantic.
    ABC News, ABC News, 30 Mar. 2025
  • From there, there was the 116-113 March 19 home loss, when Pistons guard Cade Cunningham banked in the winning 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds to play to close out the scoring.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Maria accepts the role; because of her age, Christine has to sign a waiver, and Maria is next seen witnessing a scrum of paparazzi besieging Marlon Brando (played by Matt Dillon) on location.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Well-wishers so besieged Moore that the actress had to be informed formally that the engraving process was complete.
    Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • This was a departure from Mourinho and Conte, who both moaned about investment, attacked the club culture, exited unceremoniously, and bad-mouthed them afterward.
    Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • By the way, it was attacked from the Pentagon and from the White House as being fake news that this was going to happen and Elon Musk denounced the leak.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Facebook) Yolanda was seen on surveillance video arguing with Rebecca and physically assaulting her on the day of the fatal stabbing.
    Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2025
  • According to police, Yolanda was captured on surveillance camera allegedly arguing with and physically assaulting Rebecca, then fleeing the residence before her wife’s mother found her.
    Bailey Richards, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blockade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blockade. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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