This is the 5465th most frequent Korean word.
막아
"막아" means "block" or "stop" in English.
In this sentence, "막았다" means "blocked" or "prevented," indicating an action taken to physically prevent something (the wind) from entering.
그는 문을 닫아 바람을 막았다.
He closed the door to block the wind.
Here, "막았다" is used to mean "stopped" or "prevented," describing an action taken to intervene or stop a negative behavior.
나는 그가 나쁜 행동을 하지 못하도록 막았다.
I stopped him from doing something bad.
"막았다" in this sentence refers to "blocked" in the context of taking a precautionary measure to prevent a natural disaster (flooding).