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
Relevance
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blockade
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2026
But a complete blockade is difficult; around half of Iran’s non-oil trade goes overland or through Caspian Sea ports, according to Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, an economic expert.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg, 24 Apr. 2026
Any action on either side to blockade this chain would prove detrimental to both naval and commercial traffic in the region.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blockade
Noun
The double blockade actually creates a pretty tenuous situation because every interdiction, every warning shot, every seizure of vessels, could become a trigger for a wider relapse into conflict.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2026
But a complete blockade is difficult; around half of Iran’s non-oil trade goes overland or through Caspian Sea ports, according to Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, an economic expert.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
With no end in sight to US and Iranian efforts to blockade the channel, alarms are ringing louder over the consequences to the global economy.
—Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg, 24 Apr. 2026
Any action on either side to blockade this chain would prove detrimental to both naval and commercial traffic in the region.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blockade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blockade
Noun
-
Since the January 2025 fire siege, roughly 20% of surviving street trees have gone missing, according to preliminary results from a University of California research team.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
With correspondents Bernard Shaw, John Holliman and Peter Arnett doing reports under siege from Baghdad’s al-Rashid Hotel, the network changed war journalism forever.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Ausar Thompson, who finished third in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting, guarded Mitchell on Tuesday.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
These sites also largely guard your data, sharing it only with their clients rather than with a wide group of affiliated companies.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
In a similar vein, the Business section featured an article on our inequitable national tax structure, which enables the wealthy to grow their wealth while most people, besieged by income taxes and rising property taxes, struggle.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Early on, the Biden team had been besieged with desperate pleas to ship more of the then scarce vaccine.—
David Blumenthal,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In fact, the Sixers will be better equipped to attack this Knicks flaw if Embiid can return at any point in the series.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
-
In one of the evening’s most striking moments, Raman accused Bass and Pratt of working together to attack her.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members can lead to penalties of up to $43,658 per violation, according to the FAA.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
-
Any person who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crewmembers can face criminal charges and civil penalties costing up to $3,658 per violation, the statement read.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blockade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blockade. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
