noun

1. a shutting off of a port or region of a belligerent state by the troops or ships of the enemy in order to prevent passage in or out in time of war
2. any blocking action designed to isolate another nation and cut off communication and commerce with it
3. the force that maintains a blockade
4. any strategic barrier

Etymology: block + -ade

transitive verb blockaded -·ad′ed, blockading -·ad′·ing