blockade
noun
the isolating, closing off, or surrounding of a place, as a port, harbor, or city, by hostile ships or troops to prevent entrance or exit.
were blockading
-
past progressiveof blockade.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
ICE reported a half-dozen arrests outside the facility after masked agents used force against protestors who they said were blockading the entrances to the facility.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
At the time, several Arab countries, including the Emirates, were blockading Qatar.
From New York Times ● Jul. 23, 2021
Mrs. Meir protested that Egyptian destroyers were blockading Bab el Mandeb, where the Red Sea meets the Indian Ocean, thereby preventing tankers from sailing on to Eilat to unload vital oil.
From Time Magazine Archive
In Washington that day the French Embassy passed out the word that British cruisers were blockading Martinique's one big harbor.
From Time Magazine Archive
The seven or eight thousand men who were blockading the town lived at our expense, and denied themselves nothing.
From The Pl?biscite or, A Miller's Story of the War by Alexandre Chatrian
