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
The taxes were so high as to effectively be a blockade on trade between the countries. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025 The crux will be whether Taiwan can operate, reconstitute, and adapt these weapons systems under actual fire, when blockades, cyberattacks, and massed PLA strikes stress every node of the island’s defense network. Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet blockaded Ukrainian ports, occupied Snake Island, and threatened Odessa, the country’s main coastal city. Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2025 The education ministry said around 100 schools were disrupted and 27 fully blockaded. Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for blockade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blockade
Noun
  • Ghosts from the conflict between Union and Confederate forces are said to haunt McRaven House, an antebellum home in Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was once the scene of a grisly 43-day siege.
    Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Part of their reluctance has stemmed in part from Mamdani's sharp criticism of Israel and its siege of Gaza, which Mamdani has called a genocide.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Rulers, by contrast, tend to jealously guard their dignity.
    Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Kings guard DeMar DeRozan, a future Hall of Famer who ranks 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, agreed with Schroder’s assessment.
    Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Made in Italy is besieged, and action must be taken to safeguard the local supply chain and its reputation.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Since its municipal establishment in 2018, Roku City has been a metropolis intermittently besieged by mythical creatures including a kraken, a big robot, and a Godzilla-like kaiju.
    Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the game, Elliott operated as the right ‘No 10’ (attacking midfielder), passing neatly and playing well in a first half that only offered promise in spurts.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • All patients were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of immunotherapy drugs that help the immune system recognize and attack tumor cells more effectively.
    Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In March 2022, he was charged with assaulting a health care worker.
    Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The girl was between the ages of 4 and 10 when she was assaulted.
    Ryanne Mena, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blockade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blockade. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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