seal off

verb

sealed off; sealing off; seals off

transitive verb

: to close tightly

Examples of seal off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Noblesville's Sam Holland vs. Carmel Aug. 17: The soccer version of a pick-and-roll, Holland seals off a defender at the top of the box on a set piece, then spins around and navigates through a mess of defenders to get his head on the ball. Brian Haenchen, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Sep. 2023 The resulting communications blackout effectively sealed off the enclave’s residents from the outside world and from one another, preventing information from getting in or out and plunging its residents into digital darkness. Leo Sands, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023 The entire West Bank has been sealed off, with multiple roadblocks and checkpoints between cities, since then. Fatima Abdulkarim, WSJ, 3 Nov. 2023 After the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which the government says killed more than 1,400 people and kidnapped 240 hostages, Israel sealed off the coastal territory, cutting off food, water, fuel and medical supplies. Emma Bubola, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023 The Gaza Strip, with 2 million residents, is essentially sealed off by Israeli armed forces on its northern, eastern and seaside borders, and by Egypt to the south. Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2023 Israel withdrew its remaining settlers and soldiers from the strip in 2005, paving the way for a policy that increasingly sealed off the enclave from the world. By jared Malsin, WSJ, 8 Oct. 2023 There is Washington’s fickle weather, road closures around big gatherings and now the risk that key destinations could get sealed off. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 28 Sep. 2023 But under full blockade on the Israeli side, and the Egyptian border sealed off, there is nowhere for the population to go. Guy Davies, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seal off.' 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

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of seal off was in 1931

Dictionary Entries Near seal off

Cite this Entry

“Seal off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seal%20off. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

seal off

verb
: to close tightly
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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