to cordon off
22
6.3
- phrasal verb
- /ˈkɔrdən ɔf/
- It's worse downtown where police have cordoned off the train station and are searching all passengers.
- cordoned off area
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Watch on YouTubeSo the natural tendency is to just sort of cordon it off.
- So the natural tendency is to just sort of cordon it off.
- Well, when Daniel Inaway's casket was laid out and cordoned off, that friend was wheeled up to the cordons around that casket.
Examples
-
Some houses were still cordoned off with yellow tape.
Fiction book (1991) -
The police have cordoned off a section of the parking lot and transformed it into a command post.
Fiction book (2002) -
The area was immediately cordoned off.
-
-We cordoned off the area.
-
The area around the scene of the murder has been cordoned off with tape.
Fiction book (1991) -
We intend to cordon off the area and make sure the situation is contained.
-
Police have cordoned off the area until it can be determined whether the unidentified object poses any threat.
Fiction book (1995) -
On election day, police cordoned off ballot stations in opposition strongholds.
Academic text (2011) -
The area was cordoned off and at first light this morning, British Army technical experts went in to examine the bodies in case they had been booby trapped.
-
The police cordoned off the area to prevent anyone from entering the crime scene.
Synonyms
64
3.9
Stop people or vehicles from entering a place
49
3.9
Stop people from entering or leaving an area by blocking it
34
4.8
To stop people from entering a place by putting up a barrier
33
3.8
Close a road, path or entrance so people cannot go through
31
3.7
Surround something completely, often with a wall or fence
23
5.8
To block off an area with people or barriers to keep people away
19
5.1
Surround something completely so it cannot get out or move
13
4.0
Prevent someone or somewhere from having contact with others
13
3.0
To surround an area with a barrier to keep others out
9
6.0
To stop people and goods entering or leaving a place, often during war
6
3.7
Surround an area with a fence to stop people from entering
5
4.8
To keep people out of an area by putting ropes around it
1
5.6
To block a place so people cannot enter, often by putting up a fence
1
4.3
To make part of a room private by closing a curtain
1
7.0
To separate people or part of a place by putting up a barrier
Antonyms
How Enclosed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'cordon' (a line of officers or guards enclosing an area) combined with the particle 'off' (marking separation or exclusion) yields a directly compositional meaning: to mark or enclose an area to prevent access. This verb+particle pattern is transparent and follows common cross-linguistic logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Cordon off The phrasal verb cordon off comes from the image of a cordon, a rope or ribbon, placed off around a scene to keep people out. So, to cordon off somewhere means 'to prevent people from entering or leaving' by making a line or barrier.