quarantine

[ kwawr-uhn-teen, kwor-, kwawr-uhn-teen, kwor- ]

/ ˈkwɔr ənˌtin, ˈkwɒr-, ˌkwɔr ənˈtin, ˌkwɒr- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: quarantine / quarantined on Thesaurus.com

noun

a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease.

a period, originally 40 days, of detention or isolation imposed upon ships, persons, animals, or plants on arrival at a port or place, when suspected of carrying some infectious or contagious disease.

a system of measures maintained by governmental authority at ports, frontiers, etc., for preventing the spread of disease.

the branch of the governmental service concerned with such measures.

a place or station at which such measures are carried out, as a special port or dock where ships are detained.

the detention or isolation enforced.

the place, especially a hospital, where people are detained.

a period of 40 days.

social, political, or economic isolation imposed as a punishment, as in ostracizing an individual or enforcing sanctions against a foreign state.

verb (used with object), quar·an·tined, quar·an·tin·ing.

to put in or subject to quarantine.

to exclude, detain, or isolate for political, social, or hygienic reasons.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of quarantine

First recorded in 1600–10; from Italian quarantina, variant of quarantena, originally Upper Italian (Venetian): “period of forty days, group of forty,” derivative of quaranta “forty,” ultimately from Latin quadrāgintā

OTHER WORDS FROM quarantine

quar·an·tin·a·ble, adjectivequar·an·tin·er, nounpre·quar·an·tine, noun, verb (used with object), pre·quar·an·tined, pre·quar·an·tin·ing.un·quar·an·tined, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quarantine in a sentence

Vermont is requiring quarantines from guests traveling from virus hot zones.
How COVID-19 Could Actually Be Good for Skiing|Marc Peruzzi|November 20, 2020|Outside Online
By the end of it, I was ready to get out of quarantine and get back up here.
Cowboys QB Andy Dalton says covid-19 ‘hit me hard’ after concussion|Des Bieler|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
For example, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut include Virginia on their lists of states whose infection rates are high enough to require a 14-day quarantine period.
Virginia’s coronavirus numbers are rising. Here’s what you need to know.|Antonio Olivo|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Other players, drafted players, came from bigger programs and had better resources during quarantine.
For undrafted NFL rookies, the odds were even longer this year. Isaiah Wright made it anyway.|Sam Fortier|November 20, 2020|Washington Post

Aides who have been in contact with Monahan’s office, and spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect the privacy of affected senators, said they were told their contact with Grassley was too fleeting to require quarantine.
Virus threat reaches into halls of Congress, clouding Senate agenda|Mike DeBonis, Seung Min Kim, Karoun Demirjian|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
At the federal level, much remains undefined defined: What would be the basis for quarantining individuals?
Are Mandatory Ebola Quarantines Legal?|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Turning the tide of the epidemic, he says, will require “rigorous contact, tracing, and quarantining.”
Blood Is Ebola’s Weapon and Weakness|Abby Haglage|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Kansas does have a law on the books dating back to 1988 that bans quarantining those diagnosed with AIDS.
Kansas Quarantine Bill Has HIV/AIDS Advocates Up in Arms|David Freedlander|April 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"You deserve quarantining, if ever anyone did," said Norah, indignantly.
Back To Billabong|Mary Grant Bruce
Quarantining was very unpopular with the very people who were benefited most by it, hence the passage of this act.
The Philippines Past and Present (Volume 2 of 2)|Dean Conant Worcester
Note that, after the quarantining of measles in 1896, the death-rate dropped at once.
A Handbook of Health|Woods Hutchinson
And having said it, he relighted his quarantining pipe and refused to meet my eye.
The Prairie Child|Arthur Stringer

British Dictionary definitions for quarantine

quarantine

/ (ˈkwɒrənˌtiːn) /

noun

a period of isolation or detention, esp of persons or animals arriving from abroad, to prevent the spread of disease, usually consisting of the maximum known incubation period of the suspected disease

the place or area where such detention is enforced

any period or state of enforced isolation

verb (tr)

to isolate in or as if in quarantine

Australian to withhold (a portion of a welfare payment) from a person or group of people

Word Origin for quarantine

C17: from Italian quarantina period of forty days, from quaranta forty, from Latin quadrāgintā

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

Cultural definitions for quarantine

quarantine

[ (kwawr-uhn-teen, kwahr-uhn-teen) ]

The isolation of people who either have a contagious disease or have been exposed to one, in an attempt to prevent the spread of the disease.

notes for quarantine

The term is sometimes used politically to designate the political and economic isolation of a nation in retribution for unacceptable policies: “When Iraq invaded Kuwait, it was placed in quarantine by the nations of the world.”

quarantine

Origin of quarantine

OTHER WORDS FROM quarantine

Words related to quarantine

How to use quarantine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quarantine

Word Origin for quarantine

Cultural definitions for quarantine

notes for quarantine