BLOCKADES Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

blockades 1 of 2

noun

plural of blockade

as in sieges

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

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blockades

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of blockade

as in guards

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in besieges

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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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 blockades

Noun

With the government unable to respond to students’ demands, the school demonstrations and blockades have morphed into larger protests over soaring living costs, just months before next year’s presidential election to choose Macron’s successor. — Samuel Petrequin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Protesters have survived, but not escaped, violence, incarceration, internet blackouts and police blockades. — Amrita Basu, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026 But, refusing to die a slow death of a thousand permitting blockades or financial setbacks, SunZia instead evolved. — Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026 Insurers must also account for risks that don’t fit neatly into traditional underwriting categories, including climate change, heat stress and supply-chain disruptions caused by shipping lane blockades, blackouts or labor strikes, Bhuiyan said. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026 An international socialist publication that covered the French school blockades and placed them within a broader argument about austerity, militarization and capitalism. — Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Student groups protesting since mid-September through school blockades have urged supporters to join them. — Sylvie Corbet, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026 The tug was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, south of the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which has faced blockades and attacks in recent months. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 Now in its fourth week, the nationwide movement to highlight teacher shortages, classroom overcrowding and the dilapidation of facilities has involved marches, blockades of hundreds of schools and, in some cases, clashes with police. — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026

Verb

There's no question that the United States has a credible threat of force, but the blockade really blockades ourselves as well as Iran. — ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026 As the United States military blockades the Strait of Hormuz fuel prices rose above $100 dollars a barrel. — Contessa Brewer,dawn Giel, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026 His death sparked civil unrest in Puerto Vallarta and more than a dozen Mexican states, including Quintana Roo, with cars set on fire and blockades obstructing highways. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026 Road blockades, traffic slowdowns and other protests were widespread – from the southern port city of Marseille to Lille and Caen in the north, and from Nantes and Rennes in the west to Grenoble and Lyon in the southeast. — Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blockades

Noun

These groups saw the sieges as proof that the federal government was hunting gun owners and religious dissenters.

— Art Jipson, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
Which is why many Americans have begun to tire of the sieges in their communities.

— Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026

Definition of sieges

Verb

Along with Adebayo, guards Pelle Larsson (illness) and Dru Smith (right calf strain) weren’t available for the Heat on Wednesday.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
The router comes with Advanced Router Protection, which guards your router, and a 30-day trial for Netgear Armor Security.

— George Yang, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of guards

Verb

She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, disrupting communication between the brain and the rest of the body.

— Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Blair revealed in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder that attacks healthy cells in the central nervous system, according to the National Institutes of Health.

— Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacks

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Style

“Blockades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blockades. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of blockades

noun

verb

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