quarantine

noun

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quar·an·tine | \ ˈkwȯr-ən-ˌtēn

, ˈkwär- \

Definition of quarantine

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a period of 40 days

2a : a term during which a ship arriving in port and suspected of carrying contagious disease is held in isolation from the shore

b : a regulation placing a ship in quarantine

c : a place where a ship is detained during quarantine

3a : a restraint upon the activities or communication of persons or the transport of goods designed to prevent the spread of disease or pests

b : a place in which those under quarantine are kept

4 : a state of enforced isolation

quarantine

verb

quarantined; quarantining

Definition of quarantine (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to detain in or exclude by quarantine

2 : to isolate from normal relations or communication quarantine an aggressor

intransitive verb

: to establish or declare a quarantine

Examples of quarantine in a Sentence

Noun The infected people were put into quarantine. The cows will be kept in quarantine for another week. The dog was put under quarantine. Verb The hospital quarantined the infected patients. The dog was immediately quarantined.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun After reminding the audience at home about Schitt’s Creek, Levy takes viewers on a backstage tour for a look at SNL under quarantine. — Matthew Love, Vulture, "Saturday Night Live Recap: Dan Levy Scores a Football Hole," 7 Feb. 2021 In the season's biggest debacle, the Broncos were forced to play a game with a wide receiver playing quarterback after everyone in the QB group got put under quarantine on late notice. — Eddie Pells, Star Tribune, "The biggest win: In 2020, NFL found ways to play every game," 7 Feb. 2021 More than 16,000 employees are under quarantine this week after testing positive for the coronavirus or coming in contact with someone who had. — Washington Post, "Biden inherited a USPS crisis. Here’s how Democrats want to fix it.," 6 Feb. 2021 The team, which arrived Thursday, was under a two-week quarantine but was due to talk with Chinese experts by video link. — Joe Mcdonald, ajc, "China builds hospital in 5 days after surge in virus cases," 16 Jan. 2021 The farm in question was placed under quarantine by state officials in November and has remained anonymous due to state privacy laws, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). — Tim Gruver, Washington Examiner, "Mink infected with COVID escapes quarantined Oregon mink farm," 31 Dec. 2020 The three people, who reside in the U.K., are under quarantine in South Korea. — Fox News, "South Korea confirms first COVID-19 variant cases," 29 Dec. 2020 After that case was reported, Beijing neighbors using the same elevator as the patient were placed under a two-week quarantine, according to a person living there. — Sha Hua, WSJ, "New Cases Challenge China’s Targeted Covid-19 Strategy," 29 Dec. 2020 The mink was captured Dec. 13 near an Oregon mink farm that is under quarantine after a November COVID-19 outbreak there. — oregonlive, "Oregon mink trapped in wild tests positive for coronavirus, raising fears of ‘mutant viral strain’," 25 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The Crook County district also returned to virtual learning full-time ahead of winter break when much of its workforce had to quarantine as coronavirus cases spiked in the region. — oregonlive, "As Portland-area districts plan to reopen elementary grades, high schools left behind," 6 Feb. 2021 The district had some students and staff outside of the transportation department who have tested positive or had to quarantine since classrooms reopened, but not enough to warrant a change in learning model, Kaufman said. — Erin Golden, Star Tribune, "Bloomington schools move back to distance learning after COVID-19 outbreak," 29 Jan. 2021 Last week, Biden moved to expand on the CDC requirement and direct that federal agencies require international travelers to quarantine upon arrival in the U.S. and obtain another negative test to slow the spread of the virus. — Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, "Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine protects against new UK and South African variants, but plans to test new booster shot," 26 Jan. 2021 The Los Angeles County Public Health Department requires travelers to quarantine for 10 days upon return to L.A. County. — Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, "As U.S. requires COVID tests for re-entry, Baja resorts open test sites," 25 Jan. 2021 The cast and crew may have to quarantine again before rejoining production, which would delay the timeline. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Here's Everything We Know So Far About "Riverdale" Season 6," 21 Jan. 2021 The county requires travelers to quarantine for 14 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. — al, "Georgia teen free from Cayman Islands prison after breaking COVID quarantine rules," 18 Jan. 2021 Magyar said that DeWine, on Dec. 30, announced that pupils and teachers exposed to COVID-19 in classrooms no longer have to quarantine if masks are worn properly and social distancing is practiced. — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, "Brecksville-Broadview Heights schools will return grades 5-12 pupils to classrooms 2 weeks earlier than planned," 18 Jan. 2021 Several football teams such as Judson, Harlandale, McCollum and San Antonio Veterans Memorial were forced to quarantine their teams because for COVID-19 issues during the regular season. — David Hinojosa, ExpressNews.com, "The 2020 football season has spilled into 2021 because of COVID-19 pandemic," 14 Jan. 2021

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

History and Etymology for quarantine

Noun

partly modification of French quarantaine, from Old French, from quarante forty, from Latin quadraginta, from quadra- (akin to quattuor four) + -ginta (akin to viginti twenty); partly modification of Italian quarantena quarantine of a ship, from quaranta forty, from Latin quadraginta — more at four, vigesimal

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Last Updated

21 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Quarantine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarantine. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for quarantine

quarantine

noun

English Language Learners Definition of quarantine

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading

: the situation of being kept away from others to prevent a disease from spreading

quarantine

verb

English Language Learners Definition of quarantine (Entry 2 of 2)

: to keep (a person or animal) away from others to prevent a disease from spreading : to put or keep (a person or animal) in quarantine

See the full definition for quarantine in the English Language Learners Dictionary

quarantine

noun

quar·an·tine | \ ˈkwȯr-ən-ˌtēn