blockade
verb
\
Definition of blockade
(Entry 1 of 2)
blockade
nounDefinition of blockade (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for blockade
Synonyms: Verb
bar, barricade, block (off), close (off), guard, wall (off)
Synonyms: Noun
beleaguerment, investment, leaguer, siege
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of blockade in a Sentence
Verb
They blockaded the country's ports. the militant protestors blockaded the whole area around city hallNoun
it was the blockade of all the enemy's major ports that finally won the war
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
One Chinese study looked at the possibility of planting over 11,000 mines in a few days to effectively blockade Taiwan, noting that the PLA have nearly five hundred ships and aircraft capable of laying mines. — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "What You Need to Know About the South China Sea, the World's Next Hot Spot," 27 Feb. 2019 Israel and Egypt have blockaded Gaza by air, land and sea since the takeover. — Fares Akram, The Seattle Times, "Palestinians offer new details of Israel’s botched Gaza raid," 12 Dec. 2018 Protesters who blockaded oil fields in the southern governorate of Tataouine for more than a month in 2017 eventually won promises for 3,500 local jobs and an 80 million dinar, or $32 million, fund for local development. — Chantal Berman, Washington Post, "Why do Tunisians keep protesting?," 19 Jan. 2018 Russia sees Ukraine’s economy, which Kiev authorities have failed to reform, as one of its biggest weak spots, and attempts to blockade Ukraine’s key waterways have hurt the country’s industrial east. — Thomas Grove, WSJ, "Ukraine Threatens to Escalate Russia Standoff After Ship Detentions," 30 Nov. 2018 The Belgian charity Music Fund sent foreign experts two times to Gaza, which is blockaded by Israel and Egypt, to renovate the piano. — Fares Akram, The Seattle Times, "Days after concert, Gaza’s grand piano seized by merchant," 28 Nov. 2018 Production has risen sharply in recent weeks after Mr. Sanalla negotiated the reopening of facilities blockaded by militias. — Benoit Faucon, WSJ, "Libya’s Oil Production Has More Than Doubled Since June, Oil Chief Says," 14 Nov. 2018 Brazilian output has been volatile since May, when a 10-day truckers’ strike blockaded highways around the country, stopping deliveries of supplies from reaching their destination and forcing many factories to close down. — Jeffrey T. Lewis, WSJ, "Brazil’s Industrial Output Slips, Hurt by Weak Economy," 1 Nov. 2018 For a decade, the Soviet Union has set up a magical wall to blockade Berlin, creating an uneasy peace between the East and West. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "11 new sci-fi and fantasy books to check out this November," 1 Nov. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The Saudi regime’s murder of Jamal Khashoggi, its reckless military campaign in Yemen, its blockade of Qatar, and its effort to remove Lebanon’s prime minister all show astounding arrogance entitlement, and disregard for international norms. — Lindsey Graham, WSJ, "Congress Gets Tough on the Saudis," 3 Dec. 2018 Hamas seeks a cease-fire with Israel to secure an easing of the blockade but accuses its West Bank rivals, Fatah, of thwarting the effort. — Aron Heller, The Seattle Times, "Gaza rocket hits home in Israel, military strikes back," 17 Oct. 2018 The resolution also takes issue with Saudi Arabia’s other actions in the region, such as human rights abuses related to its war in Yemen, the diplomatic and economic blockade against Qatar, and the imprisonment of political dissidents. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Read: senators introduce resolution calling Saudi crown prince “complicit” in Khashoggi’s murder," 6 Dec. 2018 The protests have been aimed, in part, at trying to break the blockade, imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas seized the territory in 2007. — Fox News, "Israel signals any truce with Hamas to be limited in scope," 6 Aug. 2018 Israel says the blockade -- which has been in place since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 -- is designed to stop the smuggling of arms into the territory. — Cnn Senior International Correspondent Sam Kiley, CNN, "Hamas struggles to co-opt Palestinian uprising against Israel," 29 May 2018 For years, smuggling tunnels provided a lifeline to Palestinians who faced shortages because of Israel's blockade, transporting goods as varied as weapons and baby food. — Alexandra Zavis, latimes.com, "In Gaza Strip protests, the anger has many targets," 14 May 2018 Helping reinforce the Israeli blockade, Egypt has kept the Rafah crossing point, Gaza's main gate to the outside world, closed most of the time since the Hamas takeover. — Fares Akram, chicagotribune.com, "Gazans rally near Israel border in blockade-busting campaign," 11 May 2018 Even if Trump wanted to use national security as a justification for the closures, the blockade could only be temporary, and would mostly affect commerce. — Amanda Sakuma, Vox, "Trump threatens to shut down the border for the third time in three months," 29 Dec. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blockade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for blockade
blockade
verb
English Language Learners Definition of blockade
(Entry 1 of 2)
blockade
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of blockade (Entry 2 of 2)
See the full definition for blockade in the English Language Learners Dictionary
blockade
verb
\
Kids Definition of blockade
(Entry 1 of 2)
blockade
nounKids Definition of blockade (Entry 2 of 2)
blockade
noun
\
Medical Definition of blockade
(Entry 1 of 2)
blockade
transitive verbMedical Definition of blockade (Entry 2 of 2)
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Comments on blockade
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