occlude

American  

[uh-klood] / əˈklud /

verb (used with object)

occluded, occluding

1. to close, shut, or stop up (a passage, opening, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   plug, block, clog, obstruct

2. to shut in, out, or off.

3. Physical Chemistry. (of certain metals and other solids) to incorporate (gases and other foreign substances), as by absorption or adsorption.

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verb (used without object)

occluded, occluding

1. Dentistry. to shut or close, with the cusps of the opposing teeth of the upper and lower jaws fitting together.

2. Meteorology. to form an occluded front.

occlude British  

/ əˈkluːd /

verb

1. (tr) to block or stop up (a passage or opening); obstruct

2. (tr) to prevent the passage of

3. (tr) chem (of a solid) to incorporate (a substance) by absorption or adsorption

4. meteorol to form or cause to form an occluded front

5. dentistry to produce or cause to produce occlusion, as in chewing

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occlude Scientific  

/ ə-klo̅o̅d′ /

1. To force air upward from the Earth's surface, as when a cold front overtakes and undercuts a warm front.

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Other Word Forms

• occludent
  adjective
• unoccluded
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of occlude

1590–1600; < Latin occlūdere to shut up, close up, equivalent to oc- oc- + -clūdere, combining form of claudere to close

Explanation

Occlude means to obstruct, as with an opening. You hear this a lot in a medical context. Heart surgeons are looking for occlusions in blood vessels — things that occlude the flow of blood. Occlude does not exist only in a medical context. If you close the bathroom door so your little brother won't come in while you're trying out makeup with your friends, you're occluding the bathroom. Meanwhile, your makeup occludes your pores.

Example Sentences

To improve this, Dr Alexander suggests reducing headphone use time and using the transparency mode which can amplify the background noise as well as wearing headphones that don't completely occlude or block the ears.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2025

It would lead to voter confusion, especially since clerks would inevitably place some stickers a few centimeters off by accident, failing to fully occlude Kennedy’s name and accidentally blocking out another.

From Slate • Sep. 24, 2024

The basic pattern is to deny or occlude, then flip the script.

From Scientific American • Sep. 22, 2022

The series begins with these stereotypes, then works to reveal the humanity that the stereotypes occlude.

From New York Times • May 13, 2022

A number of complicated branched sensory processes grow into and nearly occlude the cavity, forming a kind of sieve with only narrow chinks through which the ingoing current passes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various