seal off

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.

Example Sentences

The first film, released in 2007, saw Homer accidentally pollute the water supply of Springfield and then attempt to save his city, which had been sealed off under a huge glass dome.

From BBC

About 9 a.m., she said, phalanxes of masked agents in tactical vests sealed off the sprawling compound.

From Los Angeles Times

"Dealing with a suspected bomb in a playground is not exactly something they cover in the clerk's manual," she says with a wry smile, "but we sealed off the site straight away."

From BBC

Reno police sealed off the area near the casino and urged people to stay away.

From Los Angeles Times

For 64 days, contestants were sealed off from the outside world and their every move filmed, with viewers voting out roughly one person each week until a winner was handed the £70,000 prize.

From BBC

Related Words

• circle 
• enclose 
• surround