əˈklüd verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin occludere, from ob- + claudere to shut, close — more at close
transitive verb
1. : to shut or stop up so as to prevent the passage of something : close , obstruct
a thrombus occluding a coronary artery
an occluded bronchus
sank ships to occlude the harbor
2. : to bar the passage of : shut in or out
concern with the mechanics of pronunciation occludes comprehension of the author's ideas — A.S.Artley
the dandy's world is friendly, formal, and heartless, occluding the imagination — Cyril Connolly
3. : to bring (upper and lower teeth) into occlusal relations
4. : to take in and retain (a substance) in the interior rather than on an external surface : sorb
proteins in precipitating may occlude alcohol
— used especially of metals sorbing gases
palladium occludes large volumes of hydrogen
5. : to cut off from contact with the surface of the earth and force aloft by the convergence of a cold front upon a warm front
an occluded cyclone
occluded warm air
an occluded low
intransitive verb
1. : to close with the cusps fitting together
his teeth do not occlude properly
2. : to become cut off from contact with the earth's surface
the cyclone occludes and is left behind by the storm below — T.M.Longstreet