seal
sealin closing
(siːl )Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense seals , present participle sealing , past tense, past participle sealed
1. verb
When you seal an envelope, you close it by folding part of it over and sticking it down, so that it cannot be opened without being torn.
He sealed the envelope and put on a stamp. [VERB noun]
Write your letter and seal it in a blank envelope. [VERB noun + in]
A courier was despatched with two sealed envelopes. [VERB-ed]
stick down, close, secure, shut, fasten2. verb
If you seal a container or an opening, you cover it with something in order to prevent air, liquid, or other material getting in or out. If you seal something in a container, you put it inside and then close the container tightly.
She merely filled the containers, sealed them with a cork, and pasted on labels. [VERB noun]
A woman picks them up and seals them in plastic bags. [V n with in]
...a lid to seal in heat and keep food moist. [V n with in]
...a hermetically sealed, leak-proof packet. [VERB-ed]
shut, close, seal up, make watertight, make airtight3. countable noun
The seal on a container or opening is the part where it has been sealed.
When assembling the pie, wet the edges where the two crusts join, to form a seal.
sealant, sealer, adhesive4. countable noun
A seal is a device or a piece of material, for example in a machine, which closes an opening tightly so that air, liquid, or other substances cannot get in or out.
Check seals on fridges and freezers regularly. [+ on]
5. countable noun
A seal is something such as a piece of sticky paper or wax that is fixed to a container or door and must be broken before the container or door can be opened.
The seal on the box broke when it fell from its hiding-place. [+ on]
Protestors banged on the sides of the lorry and broke customs seals on the doors.
6. countable noun
A seal is a special mark or design, for example on a document, representing someone or something. It may be used to show that something is genuine or officially approved.
...a supply of note paper bearing the Presidential seal.
The best wines are entitled to a numbered seal of quality.
7. verb
If someone in authority seals an area, they stop people entering or passing through it, for example by placing barriers in the way.
The soldiers were deployed to help paramilitary police seal the border. [VERB noun]
A wide area round the two-storey building is sealed to all traffic except the emergency services. [VERB-ed]
cordon off, shut off, fence off, isolate, segregate, close offSeal off means the same as seal1.
Police and troops sealed off the area after the attack. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
Soldiers there are going to seal the airport off. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
8. verb
[written]
McLaren are close to sealing a deal with Renault. [VERB noun]
A General Election will be held which will seal his destiny one way or the other. [VERB noun]
His artistic character was sealed by his experiences of the First World War. [be VERB-ed]
settle, close, clinch, conclude, wind up, consummate, sew up, finalize, shake hands on [informal]10.
11. seal of approval
