occlude
verb
oc·clude
ə-ˈklüd 
ä-
occluded; occluding
1
2
: sorb
Palladium occludes large volumes of hydrogen.
1
: to come into contact with cusps of the opposing teeth fitting together
His teeth do not occlude properly.
2
: to become occluded
Examples of occlude in a Sentence
a blood clot had occluded a major artery in his body
Recent Examples on the Web
From Earth’s vantage point—right along the faraway magnetar’s equator—the wobbling disk acted like a film projector’s shutter, periodically occluding our view of the dead star supercharging SN 2024afav.
—
Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Most notably, Alex’s rulings remained accurate even when objects were rearranged or partially occluded, which ruled out simple pattern recognition.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Feb. 2026
What these facts occlude, however, is that Puerto Ricans are second-class citizens who cannot vote for the president — and those in the archipelago are not fully protected by the U.S. Bill of Rights.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The fog occluded vision beyond a hundred metres—a distance that polar bears can cover in about ten seconds.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occlude
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Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Most notably, Alex’s rulings remained accurate even when objects were rearranged or partially occluded, which ruled out simple pattern recognition.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Feb. 2026
What these facts occlude, however, is that Puerto Ricans are second-class citizens who cannot vote for the president — and those in the archipelago are not fully protected by the U.S. Bill of Rights.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The fog occluded vision beyond a hundred metres—a distance that polar bears can cover in about ten seconds.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occlude
Cite this Entry
“Occlude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occlude. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
occlude
verb
oc·clude
ə-ˈklüd
ä-
occluded; occluding
1
: to close up or block off
2
: to take up and hold by absorption or adsorption
3
: to come together with opposing surfaces in contact
the teeth do not occlude properly
Medical Definition
occlude
verb
oc·clude
ə-ˈklüd, ä-
occluded; occluding
1
: to close up or block off : obstruct
a thrombus occluding a coronary artery
2
: to bring (upper and lower teeth) into occlusion
3
: to take in and retain (a substance) in the interior rather than on an external surface : sorb
proteins in precipitating may occlude alcohol
1
: to come into contact with cusps of the opposing teeth fitting together
his teeth do not occlude properly
2
: to become occluded
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