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

More Example Sentences Phrases Containing quarantine Learn More About 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 The harsh quarantine-on-arrival requirements provide a natural deterrent to outbound tourism. — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 13 May 2022 In 2003, when severe acute respiratory syndrome was circulating in Asia, North Korea restricted travel and implemented strict quarantine procedures. — Dasl Yoon, WSJ, 13 May 2022 For example, the need to include certification, quarantine, post-entry monitoring and early response programmes in national policies and guiding principles. — Sahana Ghosh, Quartz, 10 May 2022 City officials have said districts with no cases outside quarantine for three consecutive days were considered to have achieved the goal. — Fox News, 8 May 2022 After years in quarantine and isolation, our desire for connectivity and deep conversation has never been stronger. — Mark O’donnell, Forbes, 6 May 2022 Unvaccinated travelers must self-quarantine for 14 days. — Shanti Lerner, The Arizona Republic, 5 May 2022 While Taiwan has eased entry restrictions over the last two months and cut home or hotel quarantine from 10 days to seven days, effective May 9, leisure tourists are still unable to visit. — Wayne Chang, CNN, 5 May 2022 So what’s a Halls to do — show families with Covid dribbling through days in deep quarantine? — New York Times, 4 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb And even those who can enter have to quarantine for two weeks, with the exception of those arriving from certain Chinese cities. — Karla Cripps, CNN, 27 Apr. 2022 At one point, Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer were exposed and had to quarantine for two weeks. — Arlyssa Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 24 Mar. 2022 Under regulations at the time, children under 5 who are exposed had to quarantine for 10 days. — oregonlive, 3 Feb. 2022 Last year both Jones and her mother got sick and had to quarantine for about 27 days. — al, 2 Feb. 2022 That’s because many districts are following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is more lenient on who needs to quarantine in K-12 schools than in other settings. — BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2021 Schools will work with health services to contact trace and determine who needs to quarantine in the case of a positive COVID-19 case. — Olivia Krauth, The Courier-Journal, 4 Aug. 2021 An expert group is reviewing the positive cases and deciding based on the information who needs to quarantine and for how long. — Rachel Axon, USA TODAY, 26 July 2021 Those who are up to date on vaccinations and are exposed do not need to quarantine but are urged to get tested after five days. — Angel Adegbesan, Bloomberg.com, 29 Mar. 2022 See More

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