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 latest violence marks a sharp escalation from the unrestt reported by Fox News Digital Thursday, when hundreds had been arrested as school blockades and clashes spread across the country. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

The Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi ships on July 20 and have since targeted seven vessels. — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Oct. 2026

Verb

During what became known as the Timber Wars of the late 1980s and 1990s, activists occupied giant redwoods, chained themselves to logging equipment and blockaded roads across California, Oregon and Washington. — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

France About 50 fishermen blockaded a major fuel depot in the coastal southern French town of Fos-sur-Mer on Tuesday, in part to protest rising fuel prices, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026