quarantine

/ˈkwɔrəntin/
noun
  1. A period or place of isolation for people, animals, or goods that may have been exposed to a contagious disease, to prevent its spread.
    • The dog had to stay in quarantine for a month before it could enter the country.
    • During the pandemic, many countries imposed a quarantine for travelers arriving from high-risk areas.
    • The ship was placed under a 14-day quarantine after a case of illness was reported on board.
  2. A state of enforced isolation or separation, often used figuratively.
    • After the scandal, the politician was put in a social quarantine by his former allies.
    • The old files were kept in a digital quarantine to prevent a virus from spreading to the network.
    • She felt like she was in a quarantine of loneliness after moving to a new city.
Antonyms
verb
  1. To isolate a person, animal, or thing that may have been exposed to a disease in order to prevent its spread.
    • The government ordered citizens to quarantine themselves if they had symptoms.
    • The health officials decided to quarantine the entire school after several students fell ill.
    • We had to quarantine our cat for two weeks after it was bitten by a stray animal.
  2. To separate or isolate something from others, often for safety or control.
    • She quarantined her phone from the rest of her devices after it got a virus.
    • Farmers often quarantine new plants to make sure they are free of pests.
    • The IT team quarantined the suspicious email attachment to protect the company's network.