cordon

[ kawr-dn ]

/ ˈkɔr dn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR cordon ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a line of police, sentinels, military posts, warships, etc., enclosing or guarding an area.

a cord or braid worn for ornament or as a fastening.

a ribbon worn usually diagonally across the breast as a badge of a knightly or honorary order.

Fortification.

a projecting course of stones at the base of a parapet.
the coping of a scarp.

Architecture.

a stringcourse, especially one having little or no projection.
a cut-stone riser on a stepped ramp or the like.

a fruit tree or shrub trained to grow along a support or a series of such supports.

verb (used with object)

to surround or blockade with or as with a cordon (usually followed by off): The police cordoned off the street.

Words nearby cordon

cordite, cordless, cordless telephone, cordo-, cordoba, cordon, cordon bleu, cordon sanitaire, cordonbleu, cordonnet, cordopexy

Origin of cordon

1400–50; Middle English < Middle French, diminutive of corde

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cordoned

He complained that not only has their house been cordoned off and “fumigated” but most of the neighbors have fled in fear.
Ebola in Europe: What Went Wrong|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Planes, boats, cars, strangers—all were banned from entering the cordoned off area.
1976 Vs. Today: Ebola’s Terrifying Evolution|Abby Haglage|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A big section of Watertown was cordoned off and police began a methodical, door-to-door, nerve-straining search.
Boston Suspects Tamerlan & Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, From Boxing to Bombs|Michael Daly|April 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, Romney has cordoned off major sections of his life, leaving him little to share beyond policy talking points.
Mitt Romney’s Swiss-Cheese Campaign Places Most of His Life Off Limits|Howard Kurtz|May 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Police have cordoned off the street and muscled bodyguards keep the crowds at bay and out of the camera sights.
Jersey Shore Takes Italy|Barbie Latza Nadeau|May 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Holding a baby in her arms, she burst out of the ring of men who had cordoned off the beheading.
The Saracen: The Holy War|Robert Shea
In the blinding height of a Panhandle summer it is no good thing to be cordoned about with dead ponies and dead Indians.
The Sunset Trail|Alfred Henry Lewis
The place could have been cordoned off, with the police, the army and the navy all cooperating to nab me.
The Old Die Rich|Horace Leonard Gold

British Dictionary definitions for cordoned

cordon

/ (ˈkɔːdən) /

noun

a chain of police, soldiers, ships, etc, stationed around an area

a ribbon worn as insignia of honour or rank

a cord or ribbon worn as an ornament or fastening

Also called: string course, belt course, table architect an ornamental projecting band or continuous moulding along a wall

horticulture a form of fruit tree consisting of a single stem bearing fruiting spurs, produced by cutting back all lateral branches

verb

(tr often foll by off) to put or form a cordon (around); close (off)

Word Origin for cordon

C16: from Old French, literally: a little cord, from corde string, cord

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cordon

noun

verb (used with object)

Words related to cordon

Words nearby cordon

Origin of cordon

Examples from the Web for cordoned

British Dictionary definitions for cordoned

noun

verb

Word Origin for cordon