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occlude

[ uh-klood ]
/ əˈklud /
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See synonyms for: occlude / occludent on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), oc·clud·ed, oc·clud·ing.
to close, shut, or stop up (a passage, opening, etc.).
to shut in, out, or off.
Physical Chemistry. (of certain metals and other solids) to incorporate (gases and other foreign substances), as by absorption or adsorption.
verb (used without object), oc·clud·ed, oc·clud·ing.
Dentistry. to shut or close, with the cusps of the opposing teeth of the upper and lower jaws fitting together.
Meteorology. to form an occluded front.
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Origin of occlude

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

OTHER WORDS FROM occlude

oc·clud·ent, adjectiveun·oc·clud·ed, adjective

Words nearby occlude

occipital condyle, occipital lobe, occiput, Occitan, Occleve, occlude, occluded front, occlusion, occlusive, occult, occultation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to occlude

choke, clog, close, congest, curb, fill, hinder, impede, obstruct, plug, seal, shut, stopper, throttle, close out, leave out, lock out, stop up

How to use occlude in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for occlude

occlude
/ (əˈkluːd) /
verb
(tr) to block or stop up (a passage or opening); obstruct
(tr) to prevent the passage of
(tr) chem (of a solid) to incorporate (a substance) by absorption or adsorption
meteorol to form or cause to form an occluded front
dentistry to produce or cause to produce occlusion, as in chewing

Derived forms of occlude

occludent, adjective

Word Origin for occlude

C16: from Latin occlūdere, from ob- (intensive) + claudere to close
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

Scientific definitions for occlude

occlude
[ ə-klōōd′ ]
To force air upward from the Earth's surface, as when a cold front overtakes and undercuts a warm front.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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