cordon
Americannoun
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cordons
plural
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a line of police, sentinels, military posts, warships, etc., enclosing or guarding an area.
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a cord or braid worn for ornament or as a fastening.
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a ribbon worn usually diagonally across the breast as a badge of a knightly or honorary order.
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Fortification.
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a projecting course of stones at the base of a parapet.
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the coping of a scarp.
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Architecture.
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a stringcourse, especially one having little or no projection.
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a cut-stone riser on a stepped ramp or the like.
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a fruit tree or shrub trained to grow along a support or a series of such supports.
verb (used with object)
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cordons,
present (3rd person singular)
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cordoned,
past participle, past
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cordoning
present participle
noun
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a chain of police, soldiers, ships, etc, stationed around an area
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a ribbon worn as insignia of honour or rank
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a cord or ribbon worn as an ornament or fastening
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Also called: string course, belt course, table. architect an ornamental projecting band or continuous moulding along a wall
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horticulture a form of fruit tree consisting of a single stem bearing fruiting spurs, produced by cutting back all lateral branches
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cordonsimple
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cordonssimple
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have cordonedperfect
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has cordonedperfect
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am cordoningprogressive
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are cordoningprogressive
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is cordoningprogressive
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have been cordoningperfect progressive
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has been cordoningperfect progressive
Past
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cordonedsimple
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had cordonedperfect
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was cordoningprogressive
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were cordoningprogressive
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had been cordoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cordon
1400–50; Middle English < Middle French, diminutive of corde
Explanation
That yellow police tape and group of officers encircling the crime scene? That's a kind of cordon — something set up to guard something. A cordon can also mean some kind of ornament or adornment made out of ribbon or cord, usually worn by military folks to signify honor or rank. Not surprising since cordon sounds similar to cord and comes from the Old French word for the same thing. But unless you're part of a security team or often dressed in full military regalia, you probably won't come into contact with cordons very often.
Vocabulary lists containing cordon
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Another resident, Muhammed Bobalazi, 19, said he could not go home because of the police cordon.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
The real Bora, 29, managed to slip through the security cordon and make a dash towards central Delhi before eventually being detained.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
A 200m cordon was put in place between Threadneedle Street and London Wall, with nearby buildings evacuated as a precaution.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Dozens of homes were evacuated in the nearby village of Whelford and a large cordon was put in place around the site.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
After we filed in, a group of police officers formed a tight cordon between us and the spectators.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Homes in Stanhope Street have been evacuated, with police cordons in place as Army bomb experts carry out an investigation.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Officers set up cordons on surrounding roads to prevent people from heading to the coast.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
At the scene, several police cordons were deployed at various locations inside and outside the station, according to images published by local media.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
Almost every resident carries a private atlas of vanished places: Regal Cinema, the old Coffee House, Urdu bookshops in Daryaganj, winter evenings at India Gate before barricades and security cordons reshaped the city.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
Varieties like Wildgoose and Wayland, and such hybrids as Gonzales, Waugh and Red May, can hardly be controlled in the restricted space allowed them in a row of vertical cordons.
From Dwarf Fruit Trees Their propagation, pruning, and general management, adapted to the United States and Canada by F. A. Waugh
Lliani Orantes, Muñoz’s daughter and a nurse who was born in the U.S., said her father had been hauled out of the family home by federal authorities after they swarmed and cordoned off the block.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Images from the scene showed parts of Renfield Street and West Regent Street were cordoned off, with a number of fire crews gathered outside both the Bistro and Maltman bars.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Police cordoned off most of the area around the base following the arrests on Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Large chunks of concrete could be seen scattered around and inside the collapsed area, while orange traffic cones cordoned off the site as workers surveyed the damage.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
The broadcast cut to images of West Oakland High, the front steps cordoned off with police tape.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Security was tight for the visit, with Berlin cordoning off flag-lined streets and deploying large numbers of police.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
The key is ‘alignment,’ which improves capability while cordoning off dangerous knowledge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
That velvet rope wasn’t cordoning off anything but wishes and dreams.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2023
Police have been investigating the cause of Friday's incident, cordoning off the scene which remained scattered with debris.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2023
With police cordoning off the area, he hadn’t been able to get in for days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2023
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
