em·bar·go | \ im-ˈbär-(ˌ)gō 
\
\ plural embargoes
Definition of embargo
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : an order of a government prohibiting the departure of commercial ships from its ports
2 : a legal prohibition on commerce
a trade embargo
4 : an order by a common carrier or public regulatory agency prohibiting or restricting freight transportation
embargo
verbembargoed; embargoing
Definition of embargo (Entry 2 of 2)
: to place an embargo on
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Examples of embargo in a Sentence
Noun
there's a standing embargo against the use of foul language in this house
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The embargo expired Sunday when the Cowboys’ season concluded with a 24-19 loss to the Giants.
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Michael Gehlken, Dallas News, "Contract talks between Cowboys, Dak Prescott can officially resume," 3 Jan. 2021 Two airlines, Condor and Edelweiss, are hoping that the travel embargo between Europe and the U.S. will end.
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Scott Mcmurren, Anchorage Daily News, "Here’s what Alaska travelers can expect now that we’re in 2021," 2 Jan. 2021 The movie is still under strict embargo, but glowing reactions have started to trickle out.
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Nate Jones, Vulture, "Oscar Futures: Could the Globes Language Controversy Benefit Minari in the Long Run?," 1 Jan. 2021 But their embargo didn’t inflict enough damage to bring Doha to heel.
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Matthew Martin, Bloomberg.com, "Saudi Arabia, Qatar Near U.S.-Brokered Deal to End Lengthy Rift," 2 Dec. 2020 The embargo had minimal effects on the Soviet Union, which bought grain elsewhere, but American farmers had felt the brunt of the sanctions.
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Robert D. Mcfadden, New York Times, "Roger Jepsen, Senator From Iowa and Reagan Ally, Dies at 91," 15 Nov. 2020 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insists that as of yesterday, the embargo is back on.
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Jamie Mcintyre, Washington Examiner, "US threatens friend and foe alike with punishing sanctions if they recognize end of UN arms embargo against Iran," 19 Oct. 2020 But out of the flames of bad-contract embargo finally came Eternal Atake II, a record perfectly surreal enough to exist in the current moment.
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Natalie Maher, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Best Songs of 2020," 29 Dec. 2020 That’s a step Obama didn’t embrace under the embargo, which only Congress can lift.
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Washington Post, "Biden wants to re-thaw relations with Cuba. He'll have to navigate Florida politics.," 25 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Early reactions to the film are coming in from Monday's Hollywood premiere, and although official reviews are embargoed until Wednesday, these are the first public reactions.
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Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Star Wars': First Reactions from 'Rise of Skywalker' Premiere," 16 Dec. 2019 The couple's exact itinerary is embargoed every day due to security risks, which include tensions between Pakistan and India being extremely strained over Kashmir.
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Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Duchess Kate Lands in Pakistan Wearing an Elegant Light Blue Dress and Pants," 14 Oct. 2019 Macmillan believes that e-book lending depresses sales and is experimenting with embargoing some titles from being distributed through libraries for four months.
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John Warner, chicagotribune.com, "Macmillan spat over e-books highlights library woe — and that’s bad news for readers," 12 Aug. 2019 Inspectors for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene have started to embargo products that contain cannabidiol, or CBD, during regular, periodic restaurant inspections.
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Melanie Grayce West, WSJ, "NYC Cracks Down on Businesses Selling CBD-Infused Food and Drinks," 5 Feb. 2019 But this time, as the Trump administration moves to embargo Venezuelan oil, the White House’s key Middle Eastern ally won’t be as eager to rush to its aid, say people familiar with the kingdom’s thinking.
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Benoit Faucon, WSJ, "Saudis Not Rushing to Respond to Venezuela Oil Ban," 29 Jan. 2019 The remarks will be embargoed until the end of the call.
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Richard Bravo, Bloomberg.com, "Threat of Trade Brawl Hangs on Trump’s Looming Tariff Deadline," 31 May 2018 The ruling allows authorities to embargo any properties or money owned by the church, including bonds, cars and artwork.
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Fox News, "Judge orders embargo of Puerto Rico Catholic church accounts," 27 Mar. 2018 Reporters regularly agree to embargo logistical details of trips to war zones, but are not typically asked to sign a document binding them to do so.
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Maggie Haberman, New York Times, "White House Job Requirement: Signing a Nondisclosure Agreement," 21 Mar. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'embargo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for embargo
embargo
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of embargo
: a government order that limits trade in some way
See the full definition for embargo in the English Language Learners Dictionary
embargo
nounem·bar·go | \ im-ˈbär-gō \
\ plural embargoes
Kids Definition of embargo
: an order of a government forbidding ships engaged in trade from leaving its ports
an oil embargo
embargo
nounem·bar·go | \ im-ˈbär-gō, em- \
\ plural embargoes
Legal Definition of embargo
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : an order of a government prohibiting the departure of commercial ships from its ports
2 : a legal prohibition on commerce
an embargo on arms shipments
3 : an order by a common carrier or public regulatory agency prohibiting or restricting freight transportation
embargo
transitive verbembargoed; embargoing
Legal Definition of embargo (Entry 2 of 2)
: to place an embargo on
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Time Traveler for embargo
The first known use of embargo was in 1602
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