barricade

American  

[bar-i-keyd, bar-i-keyd] / ˈbær ɪˌkeɪd, ˌbær ɪˈkeɪd /

noun

1. a defensive barrier hastily constructed, as in a street, to stop an enemy.

2. any barrier that obstructs passage.

---

verb (used with object)

barricaded, barricading

1. to obstruct or block with a barricade.

   barricading the streets to prevent an attack.

2. to shut in and defend with or as if with a barricade.

   The rebels had barricaded themselves in the old city.

   Synonyms:

   fortify

barricade British  

/ ˈbærɪˌkeɪd, ˌbærɪˈkeɪd /

noun

1. a barrier for defence, esp one erected hastily, as during street fighting

---

verb

1. to erect a barricade across (an entrance, passageway, etc) or at points of access to (a room, district of a town, etc)

   they barricaded the door

2. (usually passive) to obstruct; block

   his mind was barricaded against new ideas

Related Words

See bar ¹.

Other Word Forms

• barricader noun
• unbarricade verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of barricade

1585–95; < French, equivalent to barrique barrel (< Gascon ) + -ade -ade ¹; early barricades in Paris were often composed of barrels

Example Sentences

The protesters begin moving towards parliament, but are stopped by the police barricade.

From BBC

The restaurant owner let a few people inside and then barricaded the doors.

From Los Angeles Times

Ahead of the Lyon rally, some residents living near the march's planned route had barricaded the ground floor windows of their apartments, fearing unrest.

From Barron's

A barricade was eventually installed at the top of Greenside Lane, near the city's Theatre Royal bar, and the council asked Google and Apple to update their systems.

From BBC

Across the street, organisers erected pop-up tents behind temporary barricades, offering the ever-growing media crowd some shelter from the frequent downpours.

From Barron's

Related Words

• barrier
• blockade
• fence
• rampart
• roadblock
• wall