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
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Recent Examples of blockade
Aya Batrawy, NPR, 27 Mar. 2025
Best role-player fit: Nique Clifford, Colorado State Colorado State was the one mid-major that nearly broke through the power-conference blockade on Sweet 16 spots.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
If China blockades or invades Taiwan, the short-term economic disruptions to the United States and its allies would be large enough to rival the losses caused by a broad decoupling.
—Stephen G. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blockade
Noun
Israel announced its blockade on Gaza March 2, denying the entry of all goods, including food, medical supplies and fuel needed for hospital generators and water pumps.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 27 Mar. 2025
Best role-player fit: Nique Clifford, Colorado State Colorado State was the one mid-major that nearly broke through the power-conference blockade on Sweet 16 spots.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
If the People's Liberation Army Navy blockades Taiwan, the difficulty of providing Taipei with humanitarian assistance, let alone with weapons or soldiers, would range from painfully problematic to practically impossible.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
If China blockades or invades Taiwan, the short-term economic disruptions to the United States and its allies would be large enough to rival the losses caused by a broad decoupling.
—Stephen G. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blockade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blockade
Noun
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But the vampires’ descent on the juke joint ups the suspense and becomes genuinely scary, at first with the unsettling charm of their ancient leader, Remmick (Jack O’Connell, chilling), and eventually the brutal carnage of their siege.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
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Human-rights groups are pushing back against a proposal by Haiti authorities to enlist members of a rogue force into the fight against a powerful gang alliance carrying out a deadly siege in three of the country’s 10 regional departments.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Wells was going for a transition dunk when Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson ran underneath his legs on an attempt to stop the easy bucket.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Where Porziņģis usually spots up, several feet behind the arc, only forces defenders to cover more ground to guard him.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Their Big Three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George were besieged by injuries, which limited them to only 294 minutes together all year.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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But he has been besieged by injuries and no longer appears on The Athletic’s list of the Giants’ top 20 prospects or MLB.com’s list of their top 30.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Aged 30, Makelele had been converted from an attacking midfielder to a deep-lying, anchoring midfielder that would protect his back line and hoover up any defensive actions that came anywhere near his orbit.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
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Cena aligned himself with The Rock, attacking Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes after Rhodes turned down The Rock's offer.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Staffers of the event were also assaulted, the group said.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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An investigation revealed the three victims were assaulted and robbed by the suspects, who are all believed to be associates of a criminal street gang, police said.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blockade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blockade. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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