Definition

1. Verb:
   • To block or close up a passage, opening, or vessel: To physically obstruct or stop up a passageway, preventing movement or flow through it.
   • To cover or shut off an opening: To cause an opening to be closed or covered.
   • (Chemistry) To absorb and retain a gas or substance: In chemistry, to take in and hold a substance, especially a gas, within a solid material.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • A blood clot can occlude an artery, causing a heart attack. (A blood clot can block an artery.)
  • The dentist said the wisdom tooth was occluding the space needed for proper alignment. (The dentist said the wisdom tooth was obstructing the space.)
  • Certain metals can occlude hydrogen gas. (Certain metals can absorb and retain hydrogen gas.)

Advanced Usage

• "To become occluded": To become blocked or closed.
  • The pipe became occluded with mineral deposits over time. (The pipe became blocked.)
• In Meteorology: Refers to the process where a cold front overtakes a warm front, lifting the warm air mass off the ground.
  • The weather map shows an occluded front moving in from the west. (The map shows a front where the cold air has overtaken the warm air.)

Variants and Related Words

• Occlusion (n): The act or process of occluding, or the state of being occluded.
  • The patient suffered a coronary occlusion. (The patient suffered a blockage in a heart artery.)
• Occlusive (adj): Having the property of occluding; causing closure.
  • The doctor applied an occlusive dressing to the wound. (The doctor applied a dressing that seals the wound.)
• Occluded (adj): Closed, shut, or blocked.
  • An occluded artery is a serious medical condition. (A blocked artery is serious.)

Synonyms

• Block: To stop movement through.
• Obstruct: To be or get in the way of.
• Clog: To block or become blocked with a thick or sticky substance.
• Close: To shut.
• Choke: To block a passage, especially so as to hinder breathing.

Antonyms

• Open: To make or become open or accessible.
• Clear: To remove an obstruction from.
• Unblock: To remove a blockage from.

Related Phrases and Technical Usage

• Occluded front: A meteorological front formed by occlusion.
• Dental occlusion: The contact between the upper and lower teeth when the jaw is closed.
  • The orthodontist is correcting the patient's malocclusion. (The orthodontist is fixing the patient's bad bite.)

Verb

1. block passage through
   • obstruct the path