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

Those strikes and blockades in the south were matched by protests, which turned to riots in the north. — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026

Advertisement Iran’s key point of leverage is its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway vital to global energy trade. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Verb

On Tuesday, people spilled into the streets for a nationwide day of protest after over two weeks of student demonstrations that have blockaded schools across the country. — Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026

More than half of France’s roughly 3,700 high schools were blockaded or expected to close Tuesday, according to the High School Students Union. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026