noun

quarantine

KWOR-uhn-teen

noun

A period of enforced isolation imposed on people, animals, or goods to stop a disease from spreading.

"Travelers arriving from the outbreak zone were placed in quarantine for two weeks."

"The farm was put under quarantine after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease."

verb

To isolate someone or something to prevent the spread of disease or contamination.

"Health officials quarantined the entire ship."

"The antivirus software automatically quarantines suspicious files."

How to Use Quarantine

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishKeeping someone or something separated from others until a health risk has passed.

Memory tip

Now used well beyond disease — a computer can quarantine a suspicious file, and a country can quarantine a shipment of goods.

Trace the full origin ↓

Common pairings

put in quarantine strict quarantine quarantine period self-quarantine

quarantined past tense, quarantines plural, quarantines singular

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Can you complete this real example?

Travelers arriving from the outbreak zone were placed in _____ for two weeks.

From Italian quarantina, "about forty," after the original 40-day isolation period imposed on ships arriving in Venice during plague outbreaks.

nine mine wine line sine dine fine vine pine tine Eine thine