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

Sochi and Pyeongchang had their own problems, but the future of the Olympics looked especially bleak after the Beijing Games, staged inside a bubble sealed off from the city.

From The Wall Street Journal

Others questioned whether the Forest Service has the means to enforce such a closure — it’s pretty difficult to physically seal off a mountain.

From Los Angeles Times

A road was sealed off after a suspected World War Two explosive was brought into a police station.

From BBC

Defence Minister Israel Katz previously said the army had completely sealed off the town.

From Barron's

Shortly after the arrests began, local government and security officials, along with representatives of the Communist Party agency overseeing ethnic and religious affairs, sealed off the village.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• circle
• enclose
• surround