embargo
Americannoun
-
any restriction imposed upon commerce by edict, especially against a certain country as a penalty or to induce compliance with demands or legal obligations.
The United Nations fact-finding mission recommended the imposition of an arms embargo and other targeted economic sanctions on the rogue state.
The software may not be exported into any country with which the United States maintains a trade embargo prohibiting the shipment of goods.
-
an order of a government prohibiting the movement of merchant ships into or out of its ports.
-
an injunction from a government commerce agency to refuse freight for shipment, as in case of congestion or insufficient facilities.
-
a restraint or hindrance; prohibition.
A one-year embargo on her published dissertation allowed only the title, abstract, and citation information to be released to the public.
- Synonyms:
- proscription, interdiction, restriction, ban
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a government order prohibiting the departure or arrival of merchant ships in its ports
-
any legal stoppage of commerce
an embargo on arms shipments
-
a restraint, hindrance, or prohibition
verb
-
to lay an embargo upon
-
to seize for use by the state
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
embargosimple
-
embargoessimple
-
have embargoedperfect
-
has embargoedperfect
-
am embargoingprogressive
-
are embargoingprogressive
-
is embargoingprogressive
-
have been embargoingperfect progressive
-
has been embargoingperfect progressive
Past
-
embargoedsimple
-
had embargoedperfect
-
was embargoingprogressive
-
were embargoingprogressive
-
had been embargoingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of embargo
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Spanish, derivative of embargar “to hinder, embarrass,” from unattested Vulgar Latin imbarricāre, equivalent to im- im- 1 + unattested -barricāre ( barr(a) bar 1 + -icāre causative suffix)
Explanation
An embargo is an order stopping the movement of trade ships into or out of a country. If you can’t get those yummy Swedish fish, perhaps there has been an embargo on trade with Sweden! The fact that ships cannot move during an embargo makes sense from the Latin root of the word, a verb meaning impede with barriers. If one government places a trade embargo on another, it can be an act of war between the two countries. But if an arms embargo is in place, many countries refuse to sell arms to a particular country because it is especially violent. As a verb, the use of embargo is a little broader. If you write an impassioned plea for peace, but the government embargoes it, no one will read your writing.
Vocabulary lists containing embargo
Southeast Asia - Introductory
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Central America and the Caribbean - Introductory
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Southeast Asia - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For decades, foreign corporations accepted the risks of operating in Cuba, seeking a foothold in the island’s tourism and mining sectors despite a long-running U.S. embargo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
The East Yorkshire side have confounded expectations, a transfer embargo, and the off-field drama surrounding Southampton and Spygate, to secure a remarkable promotion.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
With regard to oil, he referred to major crises of the past few decades, such as the 1973 Arab oil embargo that hit the U.S., causing prices to almost quadruple and stay there for years.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
Criticism, she said plainly, comes from all sides: that she is too soft on the Cuban government, or too critical of it; that she says too little about the U.S. embargo, or too much.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
The more I think about it, an embargo sounds an awful lot like the punishment chair at home whenever we misbehave.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
The UK has sanctioned hundreds of vessels suspected of being part of the shadow fleet used by Russia to bypass Western embargoes since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
The IEA was formed after the Arab oil embargoes shook the world economy, as an oil consumers’ counterpoint to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
US economic and trade embargoes on Cuba have been in place since 1960.
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026
Following the end of the war on April 30, 1975, embargoes and sanctions stymied Vietnam’s economy and access to global culture – except for Sweden.
From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2025
In an effort to stop Japan, President Franklin Roosevelt imposed ever-increasing embargoes on materiel, such as scrap metal and aviation fuel.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
On Jan. 9 of this year, the U.S. seized the Olina, which then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said had departed Venezuela and was “suspected of carrying embargoed oil.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
According to Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem, the Olina was "another 'ghost fleet' tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil."
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
“I see, I know and I follow it, but I’m embargoed to say nothing. The public, though — there will be quite a reaction, I’ll say.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025
He also criticised the Home Office for not detailing the 4,537 legacy cases without a decision when it initially made its announcement in an embargoed press release to journalists.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2024
By mutual agreement, Robinson joined the ranks of officers embargoed from A-block because they couldn’t deal with the sergeant.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
The publisher, Penguin Random House, has tried to keep the book under tight wraps, embargoing the contents and only shipping it to bookstores just before its scheduled release.
From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2023
“A lot of people are wondering if you actually achieve anything by embargoing your results when everybody else can figure out how to do it anyway.”
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2019
There are many voices rightly calling for embargoing arms deliveries into South Sudan and a U.N.
From Time ● Oct. 6, 2016
Security Council resolution embargoing the transfer of missile technology to North Korea.
From Time Magazine Archive
The OAS agreed on an embargo on arms sales to Trujillo; the U.S., which had long been embargoing the arms, went further.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
