seal off
Make fully impenetrable
To seal off is to close or block completely, preventing entry or exit.
You seal off a crime scene to preserve evidence, seal off a contaminated area to prevent spread, or seal off a room by covering every gap.
The phrase emphasizes thoroughness—not just closing something, but making it impenetrable: Police sealed off the neighborhood during the manhunt.
- plugSomething that blocks openings
- barricadeObstacle blocking a path
- wallVertical enclosing structure
- blockSolid mass, or impede
- encloseShut in on all sides
beleaguer · crime scene · no entry · shut · shut down · quarantine · lock down · isolate · hermetic · encircle · sequester · surround · occlude · segregate · besiege · partition · dam · lockdown
- blockingblock, barrier, barricade, blockade, obstruction
- expressions about containmentboxed in, bottled up, hemmed in, penned in, locked in
- maneuversmaneuver, feint, sidestep, dodge, evasion
- restrainhold back, suppress, hold in, keep in, keep down
- boundariesboundary, boundary line, borders, border, edges
- shutdownshut down, power down, deactivate, disable, shutdown