noun

quarantine

/ˈkwɒrəntiːn/ · say it: KWOR·uhn·teen

isolating people to stop a disease from spreading

In Medicine & Health

In more detail

1. (noun) a period of time when a person or animal is kept away from others to prevent the spread of disease

2. (noun) the place where someone or something is kept during this period

3. (verb) to keep a person or animal away from others for a period of time to prevent disease from spreading

Examples

1. After returning from abroad, she spent two weeks in quarantine.
2. The animals were placed in quarantine at the airport.
3. Health officials decided to quarantine the infected patients.

How to use quarantine

Quarantine refers to enforced separation from others, typically for health reasons, and can refer both to the action and the location or duration. It is more formal and medical in tone than isolation, and carries a sense of mandatory or precautionary constraint. The term became widely used in everyday speech during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Common phrases

quarantine period
quarantine measures
quarantine requirements
place in quarantine
lift quarantine
quarantine facility

Synonyms

isolation · confinement · lockdown · segregation · sequestration

Word family

quarantine (noun/verb) · quarantined (adjective) · quarantining (verb form)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse quarantine with isolation; quarantine specifically implies separation due to possible disease exposure, while isolation can mean any separation or being alone.

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