occlude

verb

oc·clude ə-ˈklüd

ä-

occluded; occluding

Synonyms of occlude next

transitive verb

: to close up or block off : obstruct

a thrombus occluding a coronary artery

also : conceal

cosmetics that occlude pores

: sorb

Palladium occludes large volumes of hydrogen.

intransitive verb

: to come into contact with cusps of the opposing teeth fitting together

His teeth do not occlude properly.

: to become occluded

Example Sentences

a blood clot had occluded a major artery in his body

Recent Examples on the Web Darkness barreled in, and, for a terrible minute, the moon entirely occluded the light of the sun — except for its dancing orange corona, the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere that is usually hidden by its powerful light. —

Natasha Frost, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2023 The massive west coast Low is now fully occluded offshore northern California and still a marvel to watch via #GOESWest. —

Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2023 Too much ear wax can get occluded, or stuck, in the ear canal. —

Madeleine Burry, Health, 3 Mar. 2023 His once-collegial demeanor was occluded by an officious streak that eroded his reputation. —

C.j. Chivers, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2023 The approach also focuses on IMSI numbers, along with their 5G counterparts known as Subscription Permanent Identifier, or SUPI, and doesn't protect or occlude static hardware identifiers like International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers or media access control (MAC) addresses. —

Lily Hay Newman, Wired, 12 Aug. 2021 The vices occlude the virtues. —

Nick Paumgarte, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2021 Bush, whose time in office set the U.S. on its current course of war, privatization, and financial ruin, is on the road to being absolved of his responsibility for the current chaos because Trump’s misrule has been a debacle sufficient to occlude the memory of those grievous sins. —

Eoin Higgins, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2020 First, obese patients may completely occlude the opening of the toilet, and second, improper use of a vacuum toilet may also contribute to the creation of suction. —

Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2011 See More

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