barricade

1 of 2

verb

bar·​ri·​cade ˈber-ə-ˌkād How to pronounce barricade (audio)
ˈba-rə-;
ˌber-ə-ˈkād,
ˌba-rə-
barricaded; barricading

transitive verb

1
: to block off or stop up with a barricade
barricade a street
2
: to prevent access to by means of a barricade

barricade

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an obstruction or rampart thrown up across a way or passage to check the advance of the enemy
2
3
barricades plural : a field of combat or dispute

Examples of barricade in a Sentence

Verb The police barricaded the crime scene. the city barricaded the flooded streets to through traffic Noun The enemy broke through the barricade. Police erected barricades to keep the crowds from approaching the crime scene.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Amid the confusion, many Ukrainian troops simply barricaded themselves in their bases, as the green men lined the perimeter. Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Authorities have barricaded highways leading to New Delhi with cement blocks, metal containers, barbed wire and iron spikes to prevent the farmers from entering the capital. Rishi Lekhi and Ashok Sharma, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Reese said the suspects fled to a nearby building in the 900 block of U Street, NW, where the gunman barricaded himself with the female suspect. Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 29 Feb. 2024 Darnell also detailed barricading herself in her office until law enforcement came to the door. Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 25 Jan. 2024 Rattigan barricaded himself inside with the dogs for the next 13 hours and fired on officers trying to take him into custody, according to D.C. police. Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 In the past, Israeli forces raiding the sacred compound have clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians who barricaded themselves inside, at times to protest Israeli access restrictions. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Washington Avenue had almost all of its street parking spots barricaded off. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The Sacramento police officers arrested a man Friday accused of shooting at a person wielding a bat in a south Sacramento residential neighborhood before barricading himself in a home. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2024
Noun
Video Ad Feedback Communities use makeshift barricades to keep gangs out 00:45 - Source: CNN ‘The country cannot continue like this’ Each year in recent memory has been worse than the last, each catastrophe another blow to the disintegrating Haitian state. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 After passing through multiple police barricades and watching the increasingly violent crowd fight with police on the west front of the Capitol for more than an hour, Kuehne eventually entered the building at the Senate Wing Door, where the building had first been breached 12 minutes earlier. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024 The farmers began marching from the spot where authorities had stopped them by erecting barricades on the border of Punjab state with Haryana, blocking a key highway. Reuters, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2024 Randolph jumped over the barricade and grabbed an officer, the agent said. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2024 As the port has faced one attack after another, employees have occasionally taken the desperate measure of stacking containers on top of each other to create a barricade against the gangs. Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Although riot police set up barricades at both the church and cemetery, no detentions were reported. Dasha Litvinova and Katie Marie Davies, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Video streamed online on Navalny's YouTube channel showed sizable crowds standing in orderly lines and behind barricades set up by police at the church and cemetery. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024 Protesters had set up camp in the trees and erected barricades to block officers and construction crews. Rick Rojas, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barricade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed from Middle French, noun derivative of barricade barricade entry 2

Noun

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French, from barrique "barrel," a typical component of barricades (borrowed from Gascon barriqua, probably going back to pre-Latin *barrīca) + -ade -ade

First Known Use

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of barricade was in 1592

Dictionary Entries Near barricade

Cite this Entry

“Barricade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barricade. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

barricade

1 of 2 verb
bar·​ri·​cade ˈbar-ə-ˌkād How to pronounce barricade (audio)
ˌbar-ə-ˈkād
barricaded; barricading
: to block off with a barricade

barricade

2 of 2 noun
: a barrier usually made in a hurry for protection against attack or for blocking the way

More from Merriam-Webster on barricade

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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