occlude

[ uh-klood ]
See synonyms for: occludeoccludent on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),oc·clud·ed, oc·clud·ing.
  1. to close, shut, or stop up (a passage, opening, etc.).

  2. to shut in, out, or off.

  1. Physical Chemistry. (of certain metals and other solids) to incorporate (gases and other foreign substances), as by absorption or adsorption.

verb (used without object),oc·clud·ed, oc·clud·ing.
  1. Dentistry. to shut or close, with the cusps of the opposing teeth of the upper and lower jaws fitting together.

  2. Meteorology. to form an occluded front.

Origin of occlude

1
1590–1600; <Latin occlūdere to shut up, close up, equivalent to oc-oc- + -clūdere, combining form of claudere to close

Other words for occlude

Other words from occlude

  • oc·clud·ent, adjective
  • un·oc·clud·ed, adjective

Words Nearby occlude

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use occlude in a sentence

  • The watchmen in buildings nearby had been warned off for the time being so that their footsteps wouldn't occlude any results.

    Out Like a Light | Gordon Randall Garrett
  • These pigmented hyaline masses probably occlude the vessels, and hence cause gangrene.

    Poisons: Their Effects and Detection | Alexander Wynter Blyth

British Dictionary definitions for occlude

occlude

/ (əˈkluːd) /


verb
  1. (tr) to block or stop up (a passage or opening); obstruct

  2. (tr) to prevent the passage of

  1. (tr) chem (of a solid) to incorporate (a substance) by absorption or adsorption

  2. meteorol to form or cause to form an occluded front

  3. dentistry to produce or cause to produce occlusion, as in chewing

Origin of occlude

1
C16: from Latin occlūdere, from ob- (intensive) + claudere to close

Derived forms of occlude

  • occludent, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for occlude

occlude

[ ə-klōōd ]


  1. To force air upward from the Earth's surface, as when a cold front overtakes and undercuts a warm front.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.