blockade n
1 (Military) the interdiction of a nation's sea lines of communications, esp. of an individual port by the use of sea power
2 something that prevents access or progress
3 (Med) the inhibition of the effect of a hormone or the action of a nerve by a drug vb
4 to impose a blockade on
5 to obstruct the way to
(C17: from block + -ade, as in ambuscade)
♦
blockader n