blockade

1 of 2

verb

block·​ade blä-ˈkād How to pronounce blockade (audio)
blockaded; blockading

transitive verb

1
: to subject to a blockade
2
blockader noun

blockade

2 of 2

noun

1
: the isolation by a warring nation of an enemy area (such as a harbor) by troops or warships to prevent passage of persons or supplies
broadly : a restrictive measure designed to obstruct the commerce and communications of an unfriendly nation
2
: something that blocks
3
: interruption of normal physiological function (such as transmission of nerve impulses) of a cellular receptor, tissue, or organ
also : inhibition of a physiologically active substance (such as a hormone)

Examples of blockade in a Sentence

Verb They blockaded the country's ports. the militant protestors blockaded the whole area around city hall Noun it was the blockade of all the enemy's major ports that finally won the war
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Yet just hours prior, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked assault on Nagorno-Karabakh following nine months of blockading the region's 120,000 indigenous Armenians. Alex Galitsky, Time, 20 Sep. 2023 Russia has blockaded the ports to halt grain shipments desperately needed for the Ukrainian economy and to feed much of the developing world. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 31 July 2023 Protesters lit bonfires and attempted to blockade traffic, setting up a confrontations with police, who responded with tear gas and sometimes with bullets. Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 19 July 2023 Campers can rent snorkel gear, spend their days relaxing on the beach, or check out Fort Jefferson, a 19th-century fortress used by the Union army to blockade Confederate shipping channels during the Civil War. Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 21 July 2023 This passage also effectively enabled Russia to blockade Ukrainian shipping that passed between the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, containing the important ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 17 July 2023 Russia had blockaded Ukrainian ports, blocking ships from carrying its grain and sending global prices soaring to record highs. Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 17 July 2023 And a smaller bloc of ultraconservative members who have threatened to blockade the House floor if their priorities are not met has almost always voted against appropriations bills — in an average of 93 percent of cases. Carl Hulse, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2023 Economic impact For weeks at a time this year, Israeli forces have set up checkpoints into and out of the city of Jericho, causing hours-long back-ups and effectively blockading the population of 25,000. Hadas Gold, CNN, 30 May 2023
Noun
In the ensuing six months, his blockade has caught up more than 300 nominees. David Sivak, Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2023 And, in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, MBS helped orchestrate a land and sea blockade against Qatar in an attempt to coerce Doha into altering its foreign policy to Riyadh’s liking. Time, 20 Sep. 2023 The claim of a further advance in the east came as there were signs that Ukraine may be able to open an alternative route for grain shipments in the face of Russia’s de facto blockade of its ports. Matthew Mpoke Bigg, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023 Lee has vigorously defended Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s month-long blockade of hundreds of military promotions to force the Biden administration to rescind a policy to provide leave and reimburse travel expenses for service members and their families to travel to other states for abortions. Bryan Schott, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023 The blockade, which Israel says is needed to prevent Hamas from arming, severely limits the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza. Issam Adwan and Isabel Debre, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2023 Local media also reported that there has been a blockade of the ancient city of Timbuktu for weeks following an announcement by GSIM. Teele Rebane, CNN, 8 Sep. 2023 Russia is known to have used its naval ships in the Black Sea to strike deep into Ukrainian territory and impose an effective blockade of the Ukrainian Black Sea coast, which is crucial to global grain shipments. Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2023 The blockade inspired similar protests at several U.S.-Canada border crossings, including the Ambassador Bridge, which links Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, a critical corridor for the movement of cars and car parts. Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blockade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

derivative of blockade entry 2

Noun

block entry 2 + -ade, after German (17th century) Blocquade, Bloquade, Bloquada & Dutch (17th century) Blocquade, Bloquade

Note: The German and Dutch words, which are common in accounts of contemporary events in Europe following the siege and sack of Magdeburg in 1631, are of uncertain origin. They appear to have no Romance antecedents. According to R.J. Brunt, The Influence of the French Language on the German Vocabulary: 1649-1735 (De Gruyter, 2013) "…Ger[man] Blockade probably derives from Ital[ian] bloccato, the past part[iciple] of the verb bloccare 'stringere con il blocco, privare di refornimenti" (p. 160). It seems much more likely however, as Brunt suggests in the same paragraph, that the word was formed from German bloquiren (present-day blockieren), attested earlier and probably borrowed from French blocquer (though in this sense the word is attested only slightly earlier). The suffix -ade/-ada is a distinct borrowing from Romance sources. The Dutch word may have been borrowed from German, or independently formed from blockeren "to enclose" (present-day blokkeren "to obstruct"), also borrowed from French.

First Known Use

Verb

1684, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blockade was in 1659

Dictionary Entries Near blockade

Cite this Entry

“Blockade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blockade. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

blockade

noun
block·​ade
blä-ˈkād
: the cutting off of an area by means of troops or warships to stop the coming in or going out of people or supplies
blockade verb
blockader noun

Medical Definition

blockade

1 of 2 noun
block·​ade blä-ˈkād How to pronounce blockade (audio)
1
a
: interruption of normal physiological function (as transmission of nerve impulses) of a cellular receptor, tissue, or organ
b
: inhibition of a physiologically active substance (as a hormone)
2
: the process of reducing the phagocytic capabilities of the mononuclear phagocyte system by loading it with harmless material (as India ink or lampblack) which engages its cells in phagocytosis and prevents them from reacting to new antigenic material compare blocking antibody

blockade

2 of 2 transitive verb
blockaded; blockading
: to subject to blockade

More from Merriam-Webster on blockade

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