Standard Lemma guide

blockade

noun · verb · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /blɑˈkeɪd/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /blɒˈkeɪd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪd
  • CMU ARPABET: B L AA2 K EY1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The physical blocking or surrounding of a place, especially a port, in order to prevent commerce and traffic in or out.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any form of formal isolation or inhibition of something, especially with the force of law or arms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The ships or other forces used to effect a naval blockade.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: nautical, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Inhibition of the activity (function) of chemical messengers or their receptors, such as (often) receptor antagonism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • beta-blockade

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The act of preventing an opponent's pawn moving by placing a piece in front of it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: board-games, chess, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Synonym of prime.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: backgammon, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: prime

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To create a blockade against.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a war measure that isolates some area of importance to the enemy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: encirclement

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: military action, action

Narrower terms: naval blockade, siege, besieging, beleaguering, military blockade

9

noun

Meaning 9

prevents access or progress

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: obstruction, obstructor, obstructer, impediment, impedimenta

10

verb

Meaning 10

impose a blockade on

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: seal off

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: besiege, beleaguer, surround, hem in, circumvent

11

verb

Meaning 11

obstruct access to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: block off

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: obstruct, obturate, impede, occlude, jam, block, close up

12

verb

Meaning 12

render unsuitable for passage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • block the way
  • barricade the streets
  • stop the busy road

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: barricade, block, stop, block off, block up, bar

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: obstruct, obturate, impede, occlude, jam, block, close up

Narrower terms: shut off, block off, close off, close

13

verb

Meaning 13

hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • His brother blocked him at every turn

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: obstruct, block, hinder, stymie, stymy, embarrass

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: prevent, forestall, foreclose, preclude, forbid

Narrower terms: stonewall, filibuster, check, hang, bottleneck

History

Etymology

From block + -ade, probably after Dutch blocquade (now blokkade) or German Blockade.

Across languages

Translations

115 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: saarto — physical blocking or surrounding of a place
  • Finnish: sulkeminen — physical blocking or surrounding of a place
  • Indonesian: blokade — physical blocking or surrounding of a place
  • Pannonian Rusyn: блокада (blokada) — physical blocking or surrounding of a place
  • Polish: blokada — physical blocking or surrounding of a place
  • Spanish: bloqueo — physical blocking or surrounding of a place
  • Albanian: bllokadë — isolation of something
  • Arabic: حِصَار (ḥiṣār) — isolation of something
  • Arabic: مُحَاصَرَة (muḥāṣara) — isolation of something
  • Armenian: շրջափակում (šrǰapʻakum) — isolation of something
  • Azerbaijani: blokada — isolation of something
  • Azerbaijani: mühasirə — isolation of something
  • Belarusian: блака́да (blakáda) — isolation of something
  • Bulgarian: блока́да (blokáda) — isolation of something
  • Catalan: bloqueig — isolation of something
  • Chinese Mandarin: 封鎖 /封锁 (fēngsuǒ) — isolation of something
  • Czech: blokáda — isolation of something
  • Danish: blokade — isolation of something
  • Dutch: blokkade — isolation of something
  • Esperanto: blokado — isolation of something
  • Estonian: blokaad — isolation of something
  • Finnish: saarto — isolation of something
  • Finnish: sulku — isolation of something
  • French: blocus — isolation of something
  • Georgian: ბლოკადა (bloḳada) — isolation of something
  • German: Blockade — isolation of something
  • Greek: αποκλεισμός (apokleismós) — isolation of something
  • Hebrew: הֶסְגֵּר (hesger) — isolation of something
  • Hindi: नाकाबंदी (nākābandī) — isolation of something
  • Hindi: घेरा (gherā) — isolation of something
  • Hungarian: blokád — isolation of something
  • Hungarian: ostromzár — isolation of something
  • Icelandic: herkví — isolation of something
  • Indonesian: blokade — isolation of something
  • Italian: blocco — isolation of something
  • Japanese: 封鎖 (fūsa) — isolation of something
  • Japanese: 遮断 (shadan) — isolation of something
  • Kazakh: шектеме (şekteme) — isolation of something
  • Kazakh: блокада (blokada) — isolation of something
  • Kazakh: қамау (qamau) — isolation of something
  • Kazakh: қоршау (qorşau) — isolation of something
  • Korean: 봉쇄 (bongswae) — isolation of something
  • Kyrgyz: блокада (blokada) — isolation of something
  • Latin: obsidiō — isolation of something
  • Latin: obsessiō — isolation of something
  • Latvian: blokāde — isolation of something
  • Lithuanian: blokada — isolation of something
  • Macedonian: блока́да (blokáda) — isolation of something
  • Mongolian: бүслэлт (büslelt) — isolation of something
  • Mongolian: ᠪᠦᠰᠡᠯᠡᠯᠲᠡ (büselelte) — isolation of something
  • Norwegian Bokmål: blokade — isolation of something
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: blokade — isolation of something
  • Pannonian Rusyn: блокада (blokada) — isolation of something
  • Pashto: محاصره (mahāsera) — isolation of something
  • Persian: محاصره (mohâsere) — isolation of something
  • Polish: blokada — isolation of something
  • Portuguese: bloqueio — isolation of something
  • Romanian: blocadă — isolation of something
  • Romanian: blocare — isolation of something
  • Romanian: blocaj — isolation of something
  • Russian: блока́да (blokáda) — isolation of something
  • Serbo-Croatian: блока́да — isolation of something
  • Serbo-Croatian: blokáda — isolation of something
  • Slovak: blokáda — isolation of something
  • Slovene: blokada — isolation of something
  • Spanish: bloqueo — isolation of something
  • Swedish: blockad — isolation of something
  • Tajik: муҳосира (muhosira) — isolation of something
  • Tajik: муҳосара (muhosara) — isolation of something
  • Thai: การปิดล้อม (gaan-bpìt-lɔ́ɔm) — isolation of something
  • Turkish: abluka — isolation of something
  • Turkish: muhasara — isolation of something
  • Turkmen: blokada — isolation of something
  • Ukrainian: блока́да (blokáda) — isolation of something
  • Urdu: گھِیرا (gherā) — isolation of something
  • Urdu: محاصرہ (muhāsara) — isolation of something
  • Uzbek: blokada — isolation of something
  • Uzbek: muhosara — isolation of something
  • Vietnamese: sự bao vây — isolation of something
  • Vietnamese: sự phong tỏa — isolation of something
  • Finnish: saartojoukot — nautical: ships or other forces used to effect a naval blockade
  • Hebrew: הֶסְגֵּר יַמִּי (hesgér yamí) — nautical: ships or other forces used to effect a naval blockade
  • Polish: blokada — nautical: ships or other forces used to effect a naval blockade
  • Spanish: bloqueo — nautical: ships or other forces used to effect a naval blockade
  • Finnish: esto — chess: preventing opponent's pawn
  • Finnish: blokkaus — chess: preventing opponent's pawn
  • Armenian: շրջափակել (šrǰapʻakel) — to create a blockade against
  • Belarusian: блакірава́ць (blakiravácʹ) — to create a blockade against
  • Belarusian: блякава́ць (bljakavácʹ) — to create a blockade against
  • Bulgarian: блоки́рам (blokíram) — to create a blockade against
  • Catalan: bloquejar — to create a blockade against
  • Chinese Mandarin: 封鎖 /封锁 (fēngsuǒ) — to create a blockade against
  • Czech: blokovat — to create a blockade against
  • Czech: zablokovat — to create a blockade against
  • Finnish: saartaa — to create a blockade against
  • French: bloquer — to create a blockade against
  • French: obstruer — to create a blockade against
  • German: blockieren — to create a blockade against
  • German: sperren — to create a blockade against
  • Greek: αποκλείω (apokleío) — to create a blockade against
  • Ancient Greek: πολιορκέω (poliorkéō) — to create a blockade against
  • Japanese: 封鎖する (fūsa suru) — to create a blockade against
  • Kyrgyz: камоо кама (kamoo) — to create a blockade against
  • Latin: circumsedeo — to create a blockade against
  • Polish: blokować — to create a blockade against
  • Portuguese: bloquear — to create a blockade against
  • Romanian: bloca — to create a blockade against
  • Russian: блоки́ровать (blokírovatʹ) — to create a blockade against
  • Russian: заблоки́ровать (zablokírovatʹ) — to create a blockade against
  • Slovak: blokovať — to create a blockade against
  • Slovak: zablokovať — to create a blockade against
  • Swedish: blockera — to create a blockade against
  • Swedish: spärra — to create a blockade against
  • Thai: ปิดล้อม (bpìt-lɔ́ɔm) — to create a blockade against
  • Ukrainian: блокува́ти (blokuváty) — to create a blockade against
Real reading context

blockade in complete knowledge articles