seal off

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Related Words

• circle
• enclose
• surround