quarantine

American  

[kwawr-uhn-teen, kwor-, kwawr-uhn-teen, kwor-] / ˈkwɔr ənˌtin, ˈkwɒr-, ˌkwɔr ənˈtin, ˌkwɒr- /

noun

1. a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease.

2. a period, originally 40 days, of detention or isolation imposed upon ships, persons, animals, or plants on arrival at a port or place, when suspected of carrying some infectious or contagious disease.

3. a system of measures maintained by governmental authority at ports, frontiers, etc., for preventing the spread of disease.

4. the branch of the governmental service concerned with such measures.

5. a place or station at which such measures are carried out, as a special port or dock where ships are detained.

6. the detention or isolation enforced.

7. the place, especially a hospital, where people are detained.

8. a period of 40 days.

9. social, political, or economic isolation imposed as a punishment, as in ostracizing an individual or enforcing sanctions against a foreign state.

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verb (used with object)

quarantines, present (3rd person singular) quarantined, past participle, past quarantining present participle

1. to put in or subject to quarantine.

2. to exclude, detain, or isolate for political, social, or hygienic reasons.

quarantine British  

/ ˈkwɒrənˌtiːn /

noun

1. a period of isolation or detention, esp of persons or animals arriving from abroad, to prevent the spread of disease, usually consisting of the maximum known incubation period of the suspected disease

2. the place or area where such detention is enforced

3. any period or state of enforced isolation

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verb

1. to isolate in or as if in quarantine

2. to withhold (a portion of a welfare payment) from a person or group of people

quarantine Cultural  

1. The isolation of people who either have a contagious disease or have been exposed to one, in an attempt to prevent the spread of the disease.

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Discover More

The term is sometimes used politically to designate the political and economic isolation of a nation in retribution for unacceptable policies: “When Iraq invaded Kuwait, it was placed in quarantine by the nations of the world.”

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prequarantine
  noun
• quarantiner
  noun
• unquarantined
  adjective
• quarantinable
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have quarantined
  perfect
• has quarantined
  perfect 3rd person singular
• am quarantining
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been quarantining
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is quarantining
  progressive 3rd person singular
• quarantines
  singular 3rd person
• quarantining
  participle
• are quarantining
  progressive
• have been quarantining
  perfect progressive

Past

• had quarantined
  perfect
• was quarantining
  progressive singular
• had been quarantining
  perfect progressive
• were quarantining
  progressive plural
• quarantined
  participle
• quarantined
  simple

Future

• will quarantine
  simple
• will have quarantined
  perfect
• will be quarantining
  progressive
• will have been quarantining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of quarantine

First recorded in 1600–10; from Italian quarantina, variant of quarantena, originally Upper Italian (Venetian): “period of forty days, group of forty,” derivative of quaranta “forty,” ultimately from Latin quadrāgintā

Explanation

If you contract something highly infectious, such as pinkeye, please quarantine yourself so that you don’t infect others with it. This means you’ll have to stay in isolation and avoid contact with other people. Starting in the 16th century, a quarantine lasted specifically 40 days. The word is in fact derived from the Latin quadraginta, which means "forty." Originally, this referred to the amount of time a widow could remain in her deceased husband’s house, then referred to the period of time a ship had to wait off a country’s port if its passengers were disease-stricken. Now, it can mean a period of isolation of any length, and can be used as both a verb and a noun.

Example Sentences

Police in Kenya have fired tear gas to break up a protest in the central town of Nanyuki against the construction of an Ebola quarantine centre for US citizens.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

A whole-of-government operation immediately transported the missionaries to a hospital where they could quarantine and receive advanced medical care if needed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

It was only after quarantine, as I was able to dine outside in Manhattan again with real people, when I realized I had lost the plot.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

Protests over a fiercely contested Ebola quarantine centre for US nationals in Kenya have killed one man, a rights group said Tuesday, as President William Ruto defended the planned centre.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

He told himself not to go crazy, that Julie could figure out how to stretch two bags of food for ten days, or maybe the quarantine would be over and Vincent de Paul would reopen.

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Related Words

• block off
• sequester