1
a
: an ornamental cord or ribbon
untied the cordon that fastened his cloak
b
2
a
: a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage
b
: a line of persons or objects around a person or place
a cordon of police
3
: an espalier especially of a fruit tree trained as a single horizontal shoot or two diverging horizontal shoots in a single line
cordoned; cordoning; cordons
: to form a protective or restrictive cordon (see cordon entry 1 sense 2) around
—usually used with off
Police cordoned off the area around the crime scene.
Examples of cordon in a Sentence
Noun
A cordon of police kept protesters away from the building.
Recent Examples on the Web
Giada Zampano and Sylvia Hui, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2024
Embassy staff were kept under lockdown and U.S. Apache helicopters hovered overhead as the pro-Iranian militia supporters breached the outer cordon, burned American flags, ransacked guard posts, and sought to scale the walls before U.S. marines pushed them back with tear gas.
—Emma Sky, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2020
Caitlin Penzeymoog, Vox, 4 Sep. 2024
Unlike many defensive coordinators who cordon themselves off in the faraway comfort of the press box, Lynn sees everything from the sideline.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for cordon 
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Noun
Scuffles broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to get past a cordon.
—Giada Zampano and Sylvia Hui, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2024
Embassy staff were kept under lockdown and U.S. Apache helicopters hovered overhead as the pro-Iranian militia supporters breached the outer cordon, burned American flags, ransacked guard posts, and sought to scale the walls before U.S. marines pushed them back with tear gas.
—Emma Sky, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2020
Verb
This keeps it front of mind and cordons it off from other food.
—Caitlin Penzeymoog, Vox, 4 Sep. 2024
Unlike many defensive coordinators who cordon themselves off in the faraway comfort of the press box, Lynn sees everything from the sideline.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for cordon
Dictionary Entries Near cordon
Cite this Entry
“Cordon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cordon. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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