cordon sanitaire.

1. A controlled boundary or barrier used to restrict movement and reduce the spread of disease from an affected area.

2. A group or chain of territories intended to separate a power or influence from others.

3. An agreement or practice of refusing cooperation with a political party or movement in order to isolate it.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• establish a cordon sanitaire
• cross a cordon sanitaire

On the page

A cordon sanitaire separated the affected district from the surrounding roads.

The letter described the cordon sanitaire more accurately than the rumors did.

Usage notes

Primary category: setting. Forms: Singular cordon sanitaire; plural cordons sanitaires. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.