Definition of "blockade" []

• The isolation of a nation, area, city, or harbor by hostile ships or forces in order to prevent the entrance and exit of traffic and commerce. (noun)
• The forces used to effect this isolation. (noun)
• To set up a blockade against. See Synonyms at besiege. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "A minor point but funnily enough while most international lawyers agree that Israel retains some responsibilities as an occupying power in Gaza, they are much more wary about using the term blockade which has a very specific meaning within the laws of war (though ironically the IDF uses the term somewhat loosely itself in relation to Gaza)."
• "Cuban officials use the term "blockade" to refer to the nearly 50-year-old U.S. economic embargo."
• "Martinned: Generally a blockade is an Act of War, meaning that most aspects of it are dealt with under that category, rather than maritime law."