BLOCKADE Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

blockade 1 of 2

noun

Definition of blockade

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

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blockade

2 of 2

verb

blä-ˈkād

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

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

Noun

The Houthis have declared a blockade of Saudi shipping and threatened to choke off another crucial Middle East trade route, the Bab el-Mandeb strait from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden. — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 On July 20, the Houthis officially declared a naval blockade aimed at shutting down Saudi oil exports going through the Red Sea shipping chokepoint in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2026

Verb

In December 2022, Baku began ramping up the pressure again, blockading Stepanakert by cutting off its sole road to Armenia, and cutting its gas pipelines and electricity cables. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 Yanbu, Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea oil port, has become a key route for Saudi oil skirting the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded. — Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for blockade

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blockade

Noun

On Martha’s Vineyard, which has come under recent siege by lone star ticks, hunting is having a resurgence.

— Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026
The Houthis had their own reasons to move, especially Riyadh’s siege of Yemeni ports and a military strike on Sanaa airport.

— Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 30 July 2026

Definition of siege

Verb

But the film does not explain what ‘hospitality’ has to do with a narrative situation in which the Greeks have been besieging Troy for 10 years already [which Nolan’s movie does not depict]; the Trojans are not their hosts but their enemies in war.

— Zack Sharf, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
And yet, besieged by the same afflictions of greed, self-interest and a comical inability to work together, horse racing is doing its damndest to similarly mess up its very good thing.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of besiege

Verb

That strike came after Kuwait said Iran attacked one of its water facilities.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
The chain of events that led to another extermination began when Lauren Cohan’s Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan captured their season 2 nemesis, the Dama (Lisa Emery), after the big bad had her men attack them.

— Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of attack

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block

blockade

blockaded

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Style

“Blockade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blockade. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of blockade

noun

verb

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