barricade

verb bar·ri·cade \ ˈber-ə-ˌkād , ˈba-rə- ; ˌber-ə-ˈkād , ˌba-rə- \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: barricade in a Sentence

Definition of barricade

barricaded; barricading

transitive verb

1 : to block off or stop up with a barricade

barricade a street

2 : to prevent access to by means of a barricade

See barricade defined for English-language learners

See barricade defined for kids

Examples of barricade in a Sentence

The police barricaded the crime scene.
the city barricaded the flooded streets

Recent Examples of barricade from the Web

The 6-year-old was inside, however, as Lee stayed in the home and barricaded himself in a bedroom, Gilliland said.

— samantha ketterer, Houston Chronicle, "Man arrested after SWAT standoff inside Atascocita home," 6 June 2018
Dramatic incidents Wednesday in which people barricaded themselves for hours in a house in Antioch, and a woman armed with a gun was shot dead by police in Gurnee, were connected, authorities said Thursday.

— frank abderholden, Lake County News-Sun, "Authorities say Gurnee police shooting and Antioch standoff were connected," 24 May 2018
Pagourtzis centered his attack in the school's art complex, barricading himself inside from the fusillade of police officers' bullets that followed him there, Galveston County Judge Mark Henry said.

— christal hayes, USA TODAY, "Texas school shooting: Gunman targeted my daughter because she rejected him, grieving mom says," 20 May 2018
The suspect then fled to his own home and barricaded himself inside before shooting himself, according to police.

— baltimoresun.com, "Owings Mills man among victims of Montgomery County triple homicide," 9 May 2018
Police did not specify which man allegedly barricaded himself in a residence.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Culprits in 3 armed robbery cases in Lee's Summit caught after cop chase, police say | The Kansas City Star," 28 Apr. 2018
Wochit Three people were arrested Sunday evening after barricading themselves inside a Glendale home, police said.

— brieanna j frank, azcentral, "Glendale PD: 3 arrested after barricading themselves inside home," 27 May 2018
The next day students occupied the library, using furniture to barricade the doors.

— jillian kay melchior, WSJ, "Rough Social Justice at Evergreen State," 22 May 2018
Anthony Borges barricaded the door to try to protect his classmates and was shot through the door, our colleague Lindsey Bever writes.

— Washington Post, "The Health 202: Trump's tariffs could defeat his goal of lowering drug prices," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barricade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of barricade

borrowed from Middle French, noun derivative of barricade ²barricade

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1592

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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barricade Synonyms

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

barricade

noun

Definition of barricade

1 a : an obstruction or rampart thrown up across a way or passage to check the advance of the enemy

b : barrier 1a

2 : barrier 3, obstacle

3 barricades plural : a field of combat or dispute

See barricade defined for English-language learners

Examples of barricade in a Sentence

The enemy broke through the barricade.
Police erected barricades to keep the crowds from approaching the crime scene.

Recent Examples of barricade from the Web

After the 1993 firebombing, fears ran high in the country's large Turkish community, and protesters, among them many German-Turkish youths, put up barricades and fought street battles with police in Solingen.

— kirsten grieshaber and christoph noelting, Fox News, "Germany, Turkey mark 25th anniversary of racist attack," 29 May 2018
Protesters on Wednesday stood in roads blocking traffic or erected makeshift barricades to cut off main highways and railroads, while some workers at the country’s main airport joined in the protest, Russian new agencies reported.

— thomas grove, WSJ, "Armenian Mass Protests Paralyze the Capital, Pressuring Ally Russia," 2 May 2018
Town workers erected barricades to the entrance to Lighthouse Road to keep motorists and curiosity seekers out of harm’s way.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Quincy is hit hard by high water," 28 Apr. 2018
Public works crew on Thursday began erecting plastic barricades topped with chain-link fence around the park and along the key streets that will be blocked off.

— doug stanglin, USA TODAY, "Neo-Nazis, anti-fascist groups descend on Georgia town for competing rallies," 21 Apr. 2018
As the event draws closer, however, those routes may be delayed due to police barricades and heavy pedestrian traffic, TARC said.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Don't miss your bus! Check out the TARC bus route plan for Thunder Over Louisville 2018," 17 Apr. 2018
Police erected barricades as groups of Zuma’s supporters began arriving early Friday outside the court in Durban, in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, defying ANC orders not to wear party regalia.

— sam mkokeli, Bloomberg.com, "Dark Days for an Isolated Zuma as South African Corruption Case Starts," 5 Apr. 2018
At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, students assembled by the hundreds onto the football field, and police officers erected barricades along Holmberg Road to better guide the throng of students leaving campus.

— phillip valys, Sun-Sentinel.com, "National Walkout Day: Students from Stoneman Douglas and across U.S. call for safety, gun control," 15 Mar. 2018
The next day, the group began removing the makeshift barricade, and O’Flynn ran out of his house.

— chris colin, Outside Online, "Drawing a Line in the Sand Over River Rights," 30 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of barricade

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French, from barrique "barrel," a typical component of barricades (borrowed from Gascon barriqua, probably going back to pre-Latin *barrīca) + -ade -ade

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1642

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year