iron curtain
noun
1
: a political, military, and ideological barrier that cuts off and isolates an area
specifically, often capitalized
: one formerly isolating an area under Soviet control
2
: an impenetrable barrier
the iron curtain between the ego and the unconscious—
C. J. Rolo
C. J. Rolo
Examples of iron curtain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Under this logic, the new iron curtain is being built not by Putin but by the West, which seeks to lock Russians inside their own borders through its sanctions and visa bans.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2022
Russia is dropping a digital iron curtain over its population, creating a big, new fracture in the global internet—but there are still big gaps in President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cut off the country from online information accessible in much of the rest of the world.
—Sam Schechner and Keach Hagey, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2022
And so arguably these are the people that have the most to lose by the expansion of those rights, and the most to gain in a sense by erecting frontiers, erecting a kind of new iron curtain around Europe.
—Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2015
An economic and cultural iron curtain is descending on Russia as President Vladimir Putin proceeds with his invasion of Ukraine, reversing decades of integration with Western economies and threatening to isolate Russians to an extent unseen since the Soviet era.
—Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2022
That unit should always be an iron curtain of talent and toughness.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 17 Sep. 2022
Most bands who reach that level of success don’t do that or they get surrounded by an iron curtain where nobody can speak to them.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2022
The result is Russians now live behind a digital iron curtain, albeit one with significant gaps.
—Sam Schechner, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a stark Cold War reference the same day, telling reporters that a new iron curtain was descending between Moscow and the West.
—Amy Cheng, Washington Post, 1 July 2022
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Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2022
Russia is dropping a digital iron curtain over its population, creating a big, new fracture in the global internet—but there are still big gaps in President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cut off the country from online information accessible in much of the rest of the world.
—Sam Schechner and Keach Hagey, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2022
And so arguably these are the people that have the most to lose by the expansion of those rights, and the most to gain in a sense by erecting frontiers, erecting a kind of new iron curtain around Europe.
—Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2015
An economic and cultural iron curtain is descending on Russia as President Vladimir Putin proceeds with his invasion of Ukraine, reversing decades of integration with Western economies and threatening to isolate Russians to an extent unseen since the Soviet era.
—Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2022
That unit should always be an iron curtain of talent and toughness.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 17 Sep. 2022
Most bands who reach that level of success don’t do that or they get surrounded by an iron curtain where nobody can speak to them.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2022
The result is Russians now live behind a digital iron curtain, albeit one with significant gaps.
—Sam Schechner, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a stark Cold War reference the same day, telling reporters that a new iron curtain was descending between Moscow and the West.
—Amy Cheng, Washington Post, 1 July 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'iron curtain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1819, in the meaning defined at sense 2
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Cite this Entry
“Iron curtain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iron%20curtain. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
iron curtain
noun
: a political and military barrier that isolates an area from outside contact
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