cordon

noun cor·don \ ˈkȯr-dᵊn , -ˌdän \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of cordon

1 a : an ornamental cord or ribbon

untied the cordon that fastened his cloak

b : stringcourse

2 a : a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage

b : a line of persons or objects around a person or place

a cordon of police

3 : an espalier especially of a fruit tree trained as a single horizontal shoot or two diverging horizontal shoots in a single line

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Examples of cordon in a Sentence

A cordon of police kept protesters away from the building.

Recent Examples of cordon from the Web

Police said the militants tried to escape from a security cordon while firing their guns and grenades but were killed in the ensuing fighting.

— Bloomberg.com, "Anti-India Protests Erupt in Kashmir After Deadly Fighting," 1 Apr. 2018
Security cordons were in place in parts of the city.

— lucy gilmour, WSJ, "Pyongyang Express: A History of North Korea’s Train Diplomacy," 29 Mar. 2018
The cordon can be a place for joyful reunions, but on three days each week a more somber drama unfolds: Here, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, about 130 deported Mexican citizens arrive home.

— oscar lopez / mexico city, Time, "These Dreamers Were Deported to Mexico. Now, They're Helping Others Start Again," 9 Mar. 2018
Police said new cordons had been added near Solstice Park, a business park, in the town of Amesbury near to Salisbury.

— toby melville, Anchorage Daily News, "Nerve agent used in attempted murder of Russian ex-spy and his daughter, UK police say," 7 Mar. 2018
Police cordons were in place Tuesday in five locations across Salisbury, including Mr. Skripal’s house, the hospital where he and his daughter are being treated and the bench where they were found.

— jason douglas, WSJ, "U.K. Vows to Respond If Russian Ex-Spy’s Suspected Poisoning Linked to Moscow," 6 Mar. 2018
Walking home from work now means dodging the police cordons.

— danica kirka, The Christian Science Monitor, "English town 'keeping calm and carrying on' after Russian spy incident," 13 Mar. 2018
The Academy Awards takes place inside a blocks-wide security cordon that would make the average U.S.-Mexico border crossing blush.

— carolina a. miranda, latimes.com, "From a TMZ tour bus to a seat at the Oscars: My search for elusive celebrity culture in Los Angeles," 6 Mar. 2018
While setting up a police cordon outside of Hollie's home, Billa was shot by Hollie.

— christopher harress, AL.com, "Funeral for Justin Billa, slain Mobile police officer, draws hundreds," 27 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of cordon

French, diminutive of corde cord

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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Other Building Terms

batten, cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

cordon

verb

Definition of cordon

transitive verb

: to form a protective or restrictive cordon (see ¹cordon 2) around —usually used with off

Police cordoned off the area around the crime scene.

See cordon defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of cordon from the Web

In the scenario the Senrio researchers imagine, this IP camera has been rightly cordoned off from the rest of the network, able to communicate only with a router.

— lily hay newman, WIRED, "An Elaborate Hack Shows How Much Damage IoT Bugs Can Do," 16 Apr. 2018
By mid-January, officials had cordoned off the 184-acre swath — including 350 service lines, 210 valves and 70 fire hydrants — into an advisory zone.

— lizzie johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, "Another gut punch for Santa Rosa: Fire destroys neighborhood water system," 15 Apr. 2018
The rowdiest spectators were cordoned off in Section 102, directly behind the visitors’ bench.

— rich cohen, The Atlantic, "The Mobster Who Bought His Son a Hockey Team," 14 Apr. 2018
Half of the stadium’s bleachers have been cordoned off with orange fencing and deemed unsafe.

— jenna carlesso, Courant Community, "Dillon Stadium Redevelopment Moves Forward," 9 Apr. 2018
Police kept residents away from an Italian restaurant and a pub in the city, and cordoned off part of a business park about nine miles (14 kilometers) away, near the ancient stone monument of Stonehenge.

— Bloomberg.com, "Russian Ex-Spy Case Needs ‘Cool Head,’ British Minister Says," 3 Apr. 2018
The police department parking lot was cordoned off for 2½ hours while police investigated the package, the release said.

— tyler langan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Investigation ongoing into suspicious package found in Menomonee Falls," 29 Mar. 2018
Over the weekend, large parts of the city, including the modest street where Mr. Skripal lived, remained cordoned off.

— wiktor szary, WSJ, "The Quiet English Life of Sergei Skripal, Poisoned Former Russian Spy," 11 Mar. 2018
Late Thursday, police had cordoned off much of the 7700 block of Dorsett Drive, between Curran Boulevard and Wales Street.

— laura mcknight, NOLA.com, "Man killed in New Orleans East shooting: NOPD," 2 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of cordon

see ¹cordon

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1561

See Words from the same year

CORDON Defined for English Language Learners

cordon

noun

Definition of cordon for English Language Learners

: a line of people or objects that are placed around or in front of a person or place to keep people away

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Definition of cordon

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Origin and Etymology of cordon

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cordon

Definition of cordon

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Origin and Etymology of cordon

CORDON Defined for English Language Learners

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