Definition of embargo
embargoes
1 : an order of a government prohibiting the departure of commercial ships from its ports
2 : a legal prohibition on commerce a trade embargo
3 : stoppage, impediment; especially : prohibition I lay no embargo on anybody's words — Jane Austen
4 : an order by a common carrier or public regulatory agency prohibiting or restricting freight transportation
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Examples of embargo in a Sentence
there's a standing embargo against the use of foul language in this house
Recent Examples of embargo from the Web
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Money: Due to the U.S. trade embargo, Americans could not use any U.S. credit or debit cards in Cuba.
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If the ’73 OPEC oil embargo was the first giant meteor to hit the U.S. auto industry, the widespread deployment of the smog pump and the catalytic converter for ’75 was the second.
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U.S. visitors are limited in the activities they are allowed to do in Cuba by the terms of the USA's five-decade-old embargo.
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Among the conditions of the embargo were that Qatar must: shut down the Al Jazeera news network, halt the development of a Turkish military base in the country, and cut ties to extremist organizations.
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The salary was very bad due to the international embargo on Iraq.
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The Arab states embargo on trade with Qatar is triggering a business boom for logistics companies in Turkey.
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The United States and its allies would like to see an oil embargo and bans on the North Korean airline and guest workers among other moves, steps diplomats say have been resisted by China and Russia.
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The State Department on Tuesday questioned the motives of Saudi Arabia and several of its allies that imposed an embargo on Qatar, breaking from President Donald...
These 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.
When Should You Use embargo?
Embargoes may be put in place for any number of reasons. For instance, a government may place a trade embargo against another country to express its disapproval with that country’s policies. But governments are not the only bodies that can place embargoes. A publisher, for example, could place an embargo on a highly anticipated book to prevent stores from selling it before its official release date. The word embargo, dating from the late 16th century, derives via Spanish embargar from Vulgar Latin imbarricare, formed from the prefix in- and the noun "barra" ("bar").
Origin and Etymology of embargo
Spanish, from embargar to bar, from Vulgar Latin *imbarricare, from Latin in- + Vulgar Latin *barra bar
Other Government and Politics Terms
embargo
Definition of embargo
embargoed
;embargoing
transitive verb
: to place an embargo on
First Known Use of embargo
1755
Other Government and Politics Terms
Financial Definition of EMBARGO
embargo
What It Is
An embargo is a government-instituted prevention of exports to a certain country.
In the media world, an embargo is the release of information with the condition that it cannot be published or disseminated before a certain date. Companies often embargo press releases, meaning that they disseminate them to the media with the condition that the media not report the story until after a certain date.
How It Works
Let's say Country A dislikes Country B's human rights policies. In order to coerce Country B to change its ways, Country A forbids its companies from selling widgets to Country B. Country B has a huge demand for widgets, and being "cut off" from Country A's widgets could encourage Country B's citizens to demand that Country B's government change its ways.
In many cases, a group of countries will join an embargo so that a country like Country B can't just start buying widgets elsewhere. Sometimes countries will embargo all products with other countries.
The Magna Carta is one of the world's first and most famous embargoes. Another famous embargo is the one between the U.S. and Cuba, which has not received most American goods for 50 years.
Why It Matters
Embargoes are political strategies. Economies are increasingly global, which makes them even more powerful when they involve countries that rely on imports for day-to-day needs.
Critics point out that a country's choice not to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) may effectively place an embargo on the goods and services of that country, because WTO members often trade only with each other or give preferential treatment to other WTO members.
EMBARGO Defined for English Language Learners
embargo
playDefinition of embargo for English Language Learners
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: a government order that limits trade in some way
EMBARGO Defined for Kids
embargo
playDefinition of embargo for Students
embargoes
: an order of a government forbidding ships engaged in trade from leaving its ports an oil embargo
Law Dictionary
Legal Definition of embargo
embargoes
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
Origin and Etymology of embargo
Spanish, from embargar to bar
embargo
Legal Definition of embargo
embargoed
embargoing
: to place an embargo on
Learn More about embargo
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for embargo Spanish Central: Translation of embargo Nglish: Translation of embargo for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of embargo for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about embargo
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