quarantining

Verb

quarantine (third-person singular simple present quarantines, present participle quarantining, simple past and past participle quarantined)

1. (transitive) To place into isolation to prevent the spread of any contagious disease.
   • Venice began quarantining incoming ships for 40 days in 1448 to prevent further outbreaks of bubonic plague.
2. (intransitive) To enter or stay in quarantine, particularly to self-quarantine to avoid an epidemic disease.
   • International travelers must quarantine themselves at their own expense in a designated hotel for 14 days upon arrival.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To impose a quarantine, to establish quarantine regulations.
   • It has just been announced that Norfolk, Va., and Holly Springs, Miss., have quarantined against Memphis.1879 July 22, The Times, p. 12
4. (figuratively, transitive) Synonym of isolate more generally.
   • J.F.K. "quarantined" Cuba rather than blockading it to avoid needless escalation of the conflict.

   Synonyms:

   isolate more generally

5. (figuratively, transitive) Synonym of restrict.
   • Did any moral taint hang about me that quarantined my entrance into its circle?1850 July 27, Chamber's Edinburgh Journal, p. 49

   Synonyms:

   restrict

See all 17 meanings of quarantine