blockading

present participle of blockade
1
as in guarding
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

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2
as in besieging
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

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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 blockading Britain responded with a war-footing, blockading the Bay of Naples. Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 15 June 2026 In 2003 and 2005, demonstrators blockading La Paz in protest over foreign designs on their country's natural gas reserves toppled two pro-Western governments, paving the way for the rise of former President Evo Morales, the founder of MAS. ABC News, 27 May 2026 Iran had to shut in its own wells this month after the United States started blockading the strait. David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 May 2026 But Iran is blockading the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world. David Frum, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026 Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway where a fifth of the world’s oil passed through before the war, and America is blockading Iranian ports. Sheikh Saaliq, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026 Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway where a fifth of the world's oil passed through before the war, and America is blockading Iranian ports. Sheikh Saaliq, Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026 Atlantic piracy had reached its peak, blockading the port of Charleston and choking off trade routes from the Caribbean to Long Island. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 May 2026 Since the Ayatollah was killed, Iran has gained leverage over the United States and Israel by blockading the Strait of Hormuz and torpedoing the global economy. Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blockading
Verb
  • For the past few weeks, the Valkyries’ first-ever All-Star has been anchoring Golden State’s defense in critical moments, guarding opposing bigs and sacrificing offensive opportunities for the sake of scheme.
    Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
  • Johnson said that he was left shackled to a bed at HCMC for five days, with federal agents guarding him and preventing him from contacting his family.
    Conor Wight, CBS News, 21 June 2026
Verb
  • Boris Yeltsin, to everyone’s shock, had then walked through the crowd and climbed one of the Soviet tanks besieging him.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
  • Israel tried to take over Gaza City before in this war, besieging it and launching raids in its streets, but tens of thousands of people remained.
    Aya Batrawy, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • His pace routinely bothered Sweden, including on one impressive solo run in the first half that produced a quality attacking scenario.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2026
  • The video then shows the woman throwing Martinez to the ground, grabbing her by the hair and repeatedly attacking her as bystanders try to step in and help.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blockading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blockading. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.

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