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quar·an·tine | \ ˈkwȯr-ən-ˌtēn 
, ˈkwär- \
, 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
verbquarantined; quarantining
Definition of quarantine (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to detain in or exclude by quarantine
2 : to isolate from normal relations or communication
quarantine an aggressor
: 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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Franklin is calling for a quarantine of workers that would shut down train service, which officials say served about 750,000 riders daily before the COVID-19 outbreak.
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USA TODAY, "Helping pantries, eyeing inmates, shutting down: News from around our 50 states," 26 Mar. 2020 But Ram’s Gate is pivoting during quarantine to regular Instagram Live tastings with winemaker Joe Nielsen.
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Matt Bean, Sunset Magazine, "Virtual Tastings, Free Shipping, and More: Your Guide to the Wine World During Quarantine," 25 Mar. 2020 Markle is, presumably, now in preventative coronavirus quarantine alongside (Prince) Harry, who has become a serious advocate for mental health awareness, and their son, Archie.
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Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, "Meghan Markle Reportedly Felt ‘Trapped and Claustrophobic’ Living in London," 25 Mar. 2020 Taylors: The Sequel The Taylor family released a follow-up spoof to their quarantine playlist on March 21.
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Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Coronavirus in Ohio: Kindness - window visits, true hospitality, UC relief funds," 25 Mar. 2020 When the disease spread to a white teenager outside the quarantine zone, officials began burning buildings in a desperate attempt to quell the disease.
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Bess Lovejoy, Smithsonian Magazine, "The Pioneering Health Officer Who Saved Portland From the Plague," 25 Mar. 2020 The largest contingent of those passengers was then sent to Travis Air Force Base for quarantine, where most have stayed for the past two weeks.
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Soleil Ho, SFChronicle.com, "Grand Princess passengers at Travis Air Force Base decry ‘substandard,’ ‘moldy’ food," 23 Mar. 2020 Most rooms should be filled by Tuesday at the latest, Oden said, with some reserved for potential quarantine.
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Hayat Norimine, Dallas News, "What does an order to stay home mean for the homeless? Dallas reserves hotel rooms, but providers say they should stay put," 23 Mar. 2020 Amazon As people stay inside their homes for quarantine, supply home delivery is more important than ever.
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Claire Goodman, Houston Chronicle, "These local companies are hiring right now- no special skills required," 21 Mar. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Even if frozen food is all that is left at home while people self-isolate or quarantine in their homes, there are options for maintaining a nutritious diet, Lake Houston area health officials said.
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Savannah Mehrtens, Houston Chronicle, "Maintaining your health in the social distancing era," 26 Mar. 2020 To quarantine in a home like that is a privilege that many American families do not have, Ms. Benassaya acknowledged.
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Nellie Bowles, New York Times, "‘A Week of Snow Days’? Ha! Families Deal With Cabin Fever," 25 Mar. 2020 The prime minister has been taking care of his children alone, without the help of nannies or cleaners, while his wife is quarantined in another part of their home, the New York Times reported.
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Caitlin Yilek, Washington Examiner, "'Daddy’s on an important phone call': Trudeau balancing single fatherhood with leading Canada while wife quarantined," 24 Mar. 2020 She was quarantined in her room, unable to communicate with the outside world.
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Kara N. Goldman, STAT, "The white scarf on the door: a life-saving lesson from the 1918 Spanish flu," 23 Mar. 2020 Under the emergency order, returning residents will be required to quarantine in their homes and visitors at their hotels or rented lodging.
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Author: Timothy Hurley, Anchorage Daily News, "14-day quarantine to begin Thursday for arrivals to Hawaii," 22 Mar. 2020 One McLaren Health Care nurse told the Free Press that many members of the medical staff in the emergency room at her hospital have been quarantined for possible COVID-19 exposure.
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Kristi Tanner, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan nurses say they don't have masks, gear to keep them safe from coronavirus at work," 21 Mar. 2020 For days, his parents, quarantined in Florence over coronavirus epidemic, had been imploring him to stay away from people.
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Anastasia Edel, The New York Review of Books, "Pandemic Journal," 21 Mar. 2020 The first volunteer to participate in the trial was a passenger of the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Japan.
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ABC News, "Remdesivir could be promising drug candidate to treat coronavirus," 19 Mar. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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Learn More about quarantine
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
A Guide to Coronavirus-Related Words
A Guide to Coronavirus-Related Words
The terminology you're likely to hear
'Quarantine' vs 'Isolation'
'Quarantine' vs 'Isolation'
The vocabulary of keeping some distance
The Words of the Week - 2/14/20
The Words of the Week - 2/14/20
Some of the words that defined the week of February 14, 2020
Dictionary Entries near quarantine
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for quarantine
Last Updated
28 Mar 2020
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Quarantine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarantine. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.
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More Definitions for quarantine
quarantine
nounEnglish 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
verbEnglish 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
nounquar·an·tine | \ ˈkwȯr-ən-ˌtēn \
\Kids Definition of quarantine
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : isolation of people, animals, or things (as plants) out of a certain area to prevent the spread of disease or pests
2 : a period during which a person or animal with a contagious disease is isolated
3 : a place (as a hospital) where a person or animal with a contagious disease is isolated
quarantine
verbquarantined; quarantining
Kids Definition of quarantine (Entry 2 of 2)
: to put or hold in isolation to prevent the spread of disease or pests
The infected patient was quarantined.
quarantine
nounquar·an·tine | \ ˈkwȯr-ən-ˌtēn, ˈkwär- \
\Medical Definition of quarantine
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : 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
2a : a restraint upon the activities or communication of persons or the transport of goods that is designed to prevent the spread of disease or pests
b : a place in which those under quarantine are kept
quarantine
verbquarantined; quarantining
Medical Definition of quarantine (Entry 2 of 2)
: to detain in or exclude by quarantine
: to establish or declare a quarantine
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The first known use of quarantine was in 1617
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