seal off

Idioms  

1. Also, seal up. Close tightly or barricade to prevent entry or exit. For example, We're sealing off the unused wing of the building, or The jar is tightly sealed up. Dating from the first half of the 1900s, this idiom uses seal in the sense of “close securely,” as one used to do with a seal of wax.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seal off

The tranquil and picturesque location is hard to access, with water on three sides, and is therefore easy to seal off for major events.

From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026

Working with Ukrainian authorities, the team from Gloucestershire aims to teach farmers how to seal off areas that are highly contaminated.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

And it exposes something deeper about how the law handles its most final punishment: its willingness to seal off inquiry precisely when the stakes are highest.

From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2025

If results find contamination, homeowners will probably be left to pay for additional soil removal or other methods to seal off contaminated areas.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2025

We’ll seal off everything except the upper storage room and the tunnels leading in the front and out the back.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

Related Words

• circle
• enclose
• surround