as in sieges
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 guards
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 besieges
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
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Recent Examples of blockades
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
In response, local tourism companies clashed, generating blockades and halting services that marooned global travelers in Aguas Calientes, the remote gateway town where buses snake through the Andes toward the 15th-century Inca citadel.
—Mark Johanson, Outside, 25 Sep. 2025
Capable of holding up to 1,500 tons of water, these cavernous containers would’ve been vital to the survival of a city that had few natural sources of H2O — especially when Alexander the Great was mounting blockades.
—Barry Neild, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Police were ordered to break up traffic blockades and other efforts to prevent people who weren't protesting from going about their business.
—Dan Gooding
jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Security forces deployed across the country to try to remove any blockades as fast as possible, officials said, meaning that France was, for now, not blocked.
—Stephane Mahe, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Its call for a day of blockades, strikes, boycotts, demonstrations and other acts of protest came as Bayrou was preparing plans to massively slash public spending by $51 billion to rein in France's growing deficit and trillions in debts.
—Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
By removing the usual corporate blockades, employees could test and build on their ideas quickly.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
According to Reuters, various regional authorities say the mobile internet blockades are intended to disrupt Ukrainian drone strikes.
—PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2025
Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
The crux will be whether Taiwan can operate, reconstitute, and adapt these weapons systems under actual fire, when blockades, cyberattacks, and massed PLA strikes stress every node of the island’s defense network.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
In response, local tourism companies clashed, generating blockades and halting services that marooned global travelers in Aguas Calientes, the remote gateway town where buses snake through the Andes toward the 15th-century Inca citadel.
—Mark Johanson, Outside, 25 Sep. 2025
Capable of holding up to 1,500 tons of water, these cavernous containers would’ve been vital to the survival of a city that had few natural sources of H2O — especially when Alexander the Great was mounting blockades.
—Barry Neild, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Police were ordered to break up traffic blockades and other efforts to prevent people who weren't protesting from going about their business.
—Dan Gooding
jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Security forces deployed across the country to try to remove any blockades as fast as possible, officials said, meaning that France was, for now, not blocked.
—Stephane Mahe, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Its call for a day of blockades, strikes, boycotts, demonstrations and other acts of protest came as Bayrou was preparing plans to massively slash public spending by $51 billion to rein in France's growing deficit and trillions in debts.
—Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
By removing the usual corporate blockades, employees could test and build on their ideas quickly.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
According to Reuters, various regional authorities say the mobile internet blockades are intended to disrupt Ukrainian drone strikes.
—PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
Road blockades, traffic slowdowns and other protests were widespread – from the southern port city of Marseille to Lille and Caen in the north, and from Nantes and Rennes in the west to Grenoble and Lyon in the southeast.
—Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blockades
Noun
-
Climb the fortress trail to San Giovanni—a crumbling hilltop citadel that once guarded the city from Ottoman sieges—where the vistas stretch like a myth across fjord-like waters.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
So in the worst sieges in Syria, people could smuggle themselves in and out.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Heat guards Terry Rozier (strained left hamstring) and Herro (left ankle surgery), and forward Simone Fontecchio (left lower leg tightness) were held out of practice on Tuesday and aren’t expected to play in Wednesday’s preseason game.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Starting center Cooper Beebe, left tackle Tyler Guyton, and guards Tyler Booker and Tyler Smith were all out.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Those with the condition do not create enough insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels—because their immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce it.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
If pathogens camouflage themselves successfully, this can lead to a sort of biological friendly fire, in which the body’s immune system attacks its own cells, unable to tell the difference between an invading pathogen and what was already there.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blockades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blockades. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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