cordon off
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To put a barrier around an area to stop people from going in.
Literal meaning: To put a cordon (a barrier or line) around something, closing it off.
Meanings
1 B2 neutral
To surround or close off an area with a physical barrier, tape, or line of officers to restrict access.
"Police cordoned off the street after the explosion."
Grammar: separable
2 B2 neutral
To create a restricted zone around something for safety or security reasons.
"The building was cordoned off while engineers checked it for structural damage."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Common in news reporting about crime scenes, accidents, protests, and emergencies. Typically used in passive constructions: 'The area was cordoned off.' A cordon is literally a line or chain of police officers, soldiers, or barriers used to enclose an area.
Commonly used with
area crime scene street building zone block
Forms
Base
cordon off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
cordons off
he/she/it
Past simple
cordoned off
yesterday
Past participle
cordoned off
have + pp
-ing form
cordoning off
continuous
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Synonyms
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