Synonyms of blockade

blockade 1 of 2

noun

as in siege

the cutting off of an area by military means to stop the flow of people or supplies

it was the blockade of all the enemy's major ports that finally won the war

Synonyms & Similar Words

• siege
• investment
• beleaguerment
• leaguer
• encirclement
• isolation
• containment
• segregation
• quarantine
• insulation
• counterblockade
• sequestration
• seclusion
• confinement
• internment
• encompassment
• incarceration

blockade

2 of 2

verb

blä-ˈkād 

1

as in to guard

to disallow entry into (a place) by means of a physical barrier at the entry point

the militant protestors blockaded the whole area around city hall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• guard
• barricade
• close (off)
• block (off)
• bar
• gate
• wall (off)
• fence
• curtain (off)
• lock
• screen (off)
• obstruct
• dike
• hedge
• bolt

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• open
• reopen
• unblock
• unbar
• unbolt

2

as in to besiege

to surround (as a fortified place) with armed forces for the purpose of capturing or preventing commerce and communication

blockaded the city until it surrendered

Synonyms & Similar Words

• besiege
• attack
• assault
• encircle
• barricade
• dam
• lay siege to
• block
• cut off
• leaguer
• beleaguer
• invest
• isolate
• quarantine
• beset
• confine
• assail
• insulate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• release
• rescue
• free
• liberate
• emancipate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of blockade

Noun

The Houthis have declared a blockade of Saudi shipping and threatened to choke off another crucial Middle East trade route, the Bab el-Mandeb strait from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden. — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026

On July 20, the Houthis officially declared a naval blockade aimed at shutting down Saudi oil exports going through the Red Sea shipping chokepoint in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2026

Verb

Iran has also created a new pressure point to use against adversaries by blockading the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas flowed before the war. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Ukrainian drone strikes have forced Russia to completely halt shipping in the Sea of Azov in less than a week—showing once again how a country without traditional naval power can still effectively blockade maritime corridors. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026