cordon

UK: /ˈkɔː^rd^ən/ US: /ˈkɔrdən/ ,(kôr′dn)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

cor•don /ˈkɔrdən/   n. [countable]

1. Military a line of police, soldiers, etc., guarding an area or preventing people from passing through it.
2. Clothing a cord, braid, or ribbon worn as an ornament or badge.

v. 

3. Military to surround or blockade with or as if with a cordon: [~ + off + object]
   Police cordoned off the street.
   [~ + object + off]
   Police cordoned the area off.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cor•don  (kôr′dn), n. 

1. Military a line of police, sentinels, military posts, warships, etc., enclosing or guarding an area.
2. Clothing a cord or braid worn for ornament or as a fastening.
3. Clothing a ribbon worn usually diagonally across the breast as a badge of a knightly or honorary order.
4. [Fort.]
   • a projecting course of stones at the base of a parapet.
   • the coping of a scarp.
5. Architecture
   • Architecture a stringcourse, esp. one having little or no projection.
   • Architecture a cut-stone riser on a stepped ramp or the like.
6. Plant Biology a fruit tree or shrub trained to grow along a support or a series of such supports.

v.t. 

7. Military to surround or blockade with or as with a cordon (usually fol. by off):
   The police cordoned off the street.

• Middle French, diminutive of corde
• Middle English 1400–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cordon / ˈkɔːd^ən/ noun

1. a chain of police, soldiers, ships, etc, stationed around an area
2. a ribbon worn as insignia of honour or rank
3. a cord or ribbon worn as an ornament or fastening
4. Also called: stringcourse, belt course, table an ornamental projecting band or continuous moulding along a wall
5. a form of fruit tree consisting of a single stem bearing fruiting spurs, produced by cutting back all lateral branches

verb

1. (transitive) often followed by off: to put or form a cordon (around); close (off)

Etymology: 16th Century: from Old French, literally: a little cord, from corde string, cord