blockade

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: block=ade

CIDE DICTIONARY

blockade, n. [Cf. It. bloccata. See Block, v. t. ].

•  The shutting up of a place by troops or ships, with the purpose of preventing ingress or egress, or the reception of supplies; as, the blockade of the ports of an enemy.  [1913 Webster]

  " Blockade is now usually applied to an investment with ships or vessels, while siege is used of an investment by land forces. To constitute a blockade, the investing power must be able to apply its force to every point of practicable access, so as to render it dangerous to attempt to enter; and there is no blockade of that port where its force can not be brought to bear."  Kent.  [1913 Webster]
•  An obstruction to passage.  [1913 Webster]
•  interference with transmission of a physiological signal, or a physiological reaction.  [PJC]

To raise a blockade. See under Raise.

blockade, v. t. 

•  To shut up, as a town or fortress, by investing it with troops or vessels or war for the purpose of preventing ingress or egress, or the introduction of supplies. See note under Blockade, n.  Gilpin.  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, to shut in so as to prevent egress.  [1913 Webster]

  "Till storm and driving ice blockade him there."  [1913 Webster]
•  To obstruct entrance to or egress from.  [1913 Webster]

  "Huge bales of British cloth blockade the door."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

blockade, n. & v.
--n.
1 the surrounding or blocking of a place, esp. a port, by an enemy to prevent entry and exit of supplies etc.
2 anything that prevents access or progress.
3 US an obstruction by snow etc.
--v.tr.
1 subject to a blockade.
2 obstruct (a passage, a view, etc.).

Idiom

blockade-runner
1 a vessel which runs or attempts to run into a blockaded port.
2 the owner, master, or one of the crew of such a vessel. run a blockade enter or leave a blockaded port by evading the blockading force.

Derivative

blockader n.

Etymology

BLOCK + -ADE(1), prob. after ambuscade

THESAURUS

blockade

Jacksonian epilepsy, Rolandic epilepsy, abdominal epilepsy, access, acquired epilepsy, activated epilepsy, affect epilepsy, afterthought, akinetic epilepsy, apoplexy, arm, armor, armor-plate, arrest, arrestation, arrestment, attack, autonomic epilepsy, ban, bank, bar, bar out, barricade, barrier, barring, battle, beleaguer, beleaguerment, beset, besetment, besiege, besiegement, bind, blank wall, blind alley, blind gut, block, block up, blockade, blockading, blockage, blocking, bolt, bottleneck, bound, box in, boycott, bulwark, bung, bureaucratic delay, cage, cardiac epilepsy, castellate, catch, caulk, cecum, censorship, chamber, check, chink, chock, choke, choke off, choke up, choking, choking off, circumscription, clog, clog up, clogging, clonic spasm, clonus, close, close in, close off, close tight, close up, closing, closing up, closure, compass, confinement, congest, congestion, constipate, constipation, constrict, constriction, contain, convulsion, coop, coop in, coop up, cordon, cordon off, cordoning, cork, corral, cortical epilepsy, costiveness, count out, cover, cramp, crenellate, crowd, cul-de-sac, cursive epilepsy, curtain, cut off, dam, dam up, dead end, debar, debarment, debarring, delay, delayage, delayed reaction, demarcation, detainment, detention, determent, deterrent, difficulty, dig in, diurnal epilepsy, dog, double take, dragging, drawback, eclampsia, embargo, embattle, embolism, embolus, encircle, encirclement, enclose, enclosure, encompass, encompassment, enshrine, entrench, envelop, envelopment, epilepsia, epilepsia gravior, epilepsia major, epilepsia minor, epilepsia mitior, epilepsia nutans, epilepsia tarda, epilepsy, exception, exclude, exclusion, falling sickness, fence, fence in, fill, fill up, fit, fixation, focal epilepsy, foot-dragging, fortify, foul, freeze out, frenzy, garrison, gorge, grand mal, halt, hampering, hang-up, harass, harry, haute mal, hazard, hedge in, hem in, hindering, hindrance, hitch, holdback, holdup, house in, hurdle, hysterical epilepsy, ictus, ignore, immurement, impasse, impediment, impound, imprison, imprisonment, inadmissibility, incarcerate, incarceration, include, inclusion, infarct, infarction, inhibition, injunction, interference, interim, interruption, invest, investment, jail, jam, joker, keep out, kennel, lag, lagging, larval epilepsy, laryngeal epilepsy, laryngospasm, latent epilepsy, lay siege to, leaguer, leave out, let, lock, lock out, lockjaw, lockout, logjam, man, man the garrison, matutinal epilepsy, menstrual epilepsy, mew, mew up, mine, moratorium, musicogenic epilepsy, myoclonous epilepsy, narrowing, negativism, nocturnal epilepsy, nonadmission, nuisance value, objection, obstacle, obstipate, obstipation, obstruct, obstruction, obstructionism, obstructive, occlude, occlusion, omission, omit, one small difficulty, opposition, ostracize, pack, palisade, paperasserie, paroxysm, pass over, pause, pen, pen in, petit mal, physiologic epilepsy, pincer movement, plug, plug up, pocket, preclude, preclusion, prohibit, prohibition, psychic epilepsy, psychological block, psychomotor epilepsy, quarantine, rail in, red tape, red-tapeism, red-tapery, reflex epilepsy, reject, rejection, relegate, relegation, repression, reprieve, repudiate, repudiation, resistance, respite, restraint, restriction, retardance, retardation, retardment, roadblock, rotatoria, rub, sealing off, seizure, send to Coventry, sensory epilepsy, serial epilepsy, setback, shrine, shut in, shut off, shut out, shut tight, shut up, shutdown, shutting, shutting up, siege, slow-up, slowdown, slowness, snag, soften up, spasm, spile, squeeze, squeeze shut, stable, stanch, stay, stay of execution, stench, stifle, stop, stop up, stoppage, stopper, stopple, strangle, stranglehold, strangulate, strangulation, stricture, stroke, stuff, stuff up, stumbling block, stumbling stone, suffocate, suppression, surround, suspension, taboo, tardy epilepsy, tetanus, tetany, throes, thromboembolism, thrombosis, tie-up, time lag, tonic epilepsy, tonic spasm, torsion spasm, traumatic epilepsy, trismus, ucinate epilepsy, vertical envelopment, visitation, wait, wall, wall in, wrap, yard, yard up

ROGET THESAURUS

blockade

Hindrance

N hindrance, prevention, preclusion, obstruction, stoppage, embolus, embolism, infarct, interruption, interception, interclusion, hindrance, impedition, retardment, retardation, embarrassment, oppilation, coarctation, stricture, restriction, restraint, inhibition, blockade, interference, interposition, obtrusion, discouragement, discountenance, impediment, let, obstacle, obstruction, knot, knag, check, hitch, contretemps, screw loose, grit in the oil, bar, stile, barrier, turnstile, turnpike, gate, portcullis, beaver dam, trocha, barricade, wall, dead wall, sea wall, levee breakwater, groyne, bulkhead, block, buffer, stopper, boom, dam, weir, burrock, drawback, objection, stumbling-block, stumbling-stone, lion in the path, snag, snags and sawyers, encumbrance, incumbrance, clog, skid, shoe, spoke, drag, drag chain, drag weight, stay, stop, preventive, prophylactic, load, burden, fardel, onus, millstone round one's neck, impedimenta, dead weight, lumber, pack, nightmare, Ephialtes, incubus, old man of the sea, remora, difficulty, insuperable, obstacle, estoppel, ill wind, head wind, trammel, tether, hold back, counterpoise, damper, wet blanket, hinderer, marplot, killjoy, party pooper, party crasher, interloper, trail of a red herring, opponent, hindering, obstructive, obstruent, impeditive, impedient, intercipient, prophylactic, impedimentary, in the way of, unfavorable, onerous, burdensome, cumbrous, cumbersome, obtrusive, hindered, windbound, waterlogged, heavy laden, hard pressed, unassisted &c (assist), single-handed, alone, deserted, occurrent nubes.

Restraint

N restraint, hindrance, coercion, cohibition, constraint, repression, suppression, discipline, control, confinement, durance, duress, imprisonment, incarceration, coarctation, entombment, mancipation, durance vile, limbo, captivity, blockade, arrest, arrestation, custody, keep, care, charge, ward, restringency, curb, lettres de cachet, limitation, restriction, protection, monopoly, prohibition, prisoner, repressionist, restrained, constrained, imprisoned, pent up, jammed in, wedged in, under lock and key, under restraint, under hatches, in swaddling clothes, on parole, in custody, doing time, cohibitive, coactive, stiff, restringent, strait-laced, hidebound, barkbound, ice bound, wind bound, weather bound, cabined cribbed confined, in Lob's pound, laid by the heels.

Closure

N closure, occlusion, blockade, shutting up, obstruction, embolus, contraction, infarction, constipation, obstipation, blind alley, blind corner, keddah, cul-de-sac, caecum, imperforation, imperviousness, impermeability, stopper, closed, shut, operculated, unopened, unpierced, imporous, caecal, closable, imperforate, impervious, impermeable, impenetrable, impassable, unpassable, invious, pathless, wayless, untrodden, untrod, unventilated, air tight, water tight, hermetically sealed, tight, snug.

VB close, occlude, plug, block up, stop up, fill up, bung up, cork up, button up, stuff up, shut up, dam up, blockade, obstruct, bar, bolt, stop, seal, plumb, choke, throttle, ram down, dam, cram, trap, clinch, put to the door, shut the door.