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.

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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

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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 door had been barricaded - reinforced with planks of wood and bricks - making entry more difficult.

From BBC

Ball games are noisy and can dirty or damage the space, the local council said, but some questioned whether the barricades were necessary.

From BBC

In Jhapa, soldiers with armoured trucks manned barbed wire barricades around the counting centre.

From Barron's

Police vans and Nazi trucks barricaded the street.

From Literature

At once, he turned and walked past the traffic barricade—into the festival area.

From Literature

Related Words

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