blockade 1 of 2

noun

Definition of blockadenext
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

blä-ˈkād How to pronounce blockade (audio)
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
How caffeine actually works in your body Caffeine’s real job is receptor blockade. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026 If there is a naval blockade on us, there will be a naval blockade on you. — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
More than half of France’s roughly 3,700 high schools were blockaded or expected to close Tuesday, according to the High School Students Union. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 The country’s Interior Ministry reportedly said 1,027 of France’s roughly 3,700 lycées, or high schools, were affected Thursday, including 222 that were blockaded. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for blockade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blockade
  1. siege
  2. guard
  3. besiege
  4. attack
  5. assault
Noun
  • Multiple analysts question whether Musk's spectrum push is more bluff than a siege.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
  • For Deshane Gregg, whose vehicle was forced off the road by a convoy of contractors and federal agents, the recent show of force on the reservation has felt like a government siege, not cooperation.
    — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of siege
Verb
  • The Heat’s four Exhibit 10 contract players are Ausar, center Kylor Kelley, forward Gabe Madsen and guard Bez Mbeng.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The most direct tribute to Tippett came in the battle against two giant droids guarding an overlord’s chamber.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of guard
Verb
  • Mehra – director of 2016 pic Baar Baar Dekho and creator of Prime Video series Big Girls Don’t Cry – says that while Indian audiences are besieged by films and TV content right now, where Hunkkaar has cut through is in its subject matter.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Its largest medical center, Al-Shifa Hospital, was besieged, bombed, and raided, under false pretexts, resulting in hundreds of deaths inside.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of besiege
Verb
  • Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Electrons can then leak out of the chain, bonding with oxygen in the wrong parts of the mitochondria to form highly reactive free radicals that attack and deform neighboring molecules.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • The men talked about who would assault the woman beforehand, took photos and recorded the assault, which was also seen on a security system feed at the home in Sullivan's Island, an affluent suburb of Charleston, state agents said.
    — MEG KINNARD, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • An assistant football coach at a Detroit high school faces assault with intent to murder, home invasion and related charges in a shooting that injured a 7-year-old child and her mother.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of assault

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Cite this Entry

“Blockade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blockade. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on blockade

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blockade

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