occlusion
noun
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What Do the Words occlusion, recluse, seclusion, and exclude Have in Common?
Occlusion is a descendant of the Latin verb occludere, meaning "to close up." Occludere in turn comes from the prefix ob-, here meaning "in the way," and the verb claudere, meaning "to close or shut." Occlusion is one of many English terms derived from claudere. Some others are recluse, seclusion, and exclude. An occlusion occurs when something has been closed up or blocked off. Almost all heart attacks are the result of the occlusion of a coronary (heart) artery by a blood clot. When a person's upper and lower teeth form a malocclusion, they close incorrectly or badly. An occlusion, or occluded front, happens when a fast-moving cold front overtakes a slow-moving warm front and slides underneath it, lifting the warm air and blocking its movement.
Examples of occlusion in a Sentence
Mack Degeurin Aug 20, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2025
The team plans to develop its tech further to improve 3D reconstruction resolution, work better with less reflective objects and thicker occlusions.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 4 July 2025
The same can happen in the case of occlusions and missing data.
—Jeff Mahler, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
This hazard, hard plastic, and many other physical hazards such as metal and rocks/stones can cause illness or injury to the consumer, including laceration, cuts to the tongue or gum, perforation, occlusion (choking), typically occurring immediately or shortly after consumption.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occlusion
Cite this Entry
“Occlusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occlusion. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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occlusion
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occlusion
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