embargo

1 of 2

noun

em·​bar·​go im-ˈbär-(ˌ)gō 

plural 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

embargo

2 of 2

verb

embargoed; embargoing

transitive verb

: to place an embargo on

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When Should You Use embargo?

English speakers got embargo—both the word and the concept, it seems—from the Spanish in the early 17th century. The word first referred specifically to a government order prohibiting commercial ships from entering or leaving that country’s ports. (The Spanish word comes from embargar, “to bar.”) By the middle of the 17th century embargo was being used more broadly to refer to any government order that limits trade in some way. Today, the word is applied more broadly still to refer to various prohibitions. Publishers, for example, often place an embargo on a book to prevent stores from selling it before its official release date. And in Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion, Anne Elliot says “I lay no embargo on anybody's words.” We feel similarly.

Synonyms of embargo

Noun

• prohibition
• ban

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

Members also identified rate volatility, flight cancellations, capacity constraints and longer transit times as the most common issues, alongside growing customer service pressures and space embargoes. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 25 Mar. 2026

Under the Helms-Burton Act, passed by Congress in 1996, lifting the embargo is conditioned on the existence of a democratic government in Cuba, and no president can lift it until that requirement is met. —Sarah Moreno updated March 24, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026

Verb

Wind and solar cannot be embargoed, blockaded, or shut off by a foreign power. —David Frykman, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026

But now, companies including Planet Labs and Vantor are blocking or embargoing satellite imagery of the Middle East for days or weeks before public release. —Emily Feng, NPR, 21 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Spanish, from embargar to bar, from Vulgar Latin *imbarricare, from Latin in- + Vulgar Latin *barra bar

First Known Use

Noun

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1755, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for embargo

• argo
• supercargo

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Kids Definition

embargo

noun

em·​bar·​go

im-ˈbär-gō

plural embargoes

1

: an order of a government prohibiting commercial ships from leaving its ports

2

: legal prohibition or restriction of trade

3

: an informal or unofficial stoppage : impediment

especially : prohibition sense 2

embargo verb

Legal Definition

embargo

1 of 2 noun

em·​bar·​go im-ˈbär-gō, em- 

plural 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

embargo

2 of 2 transitive verb

embargoed; embargoing

: to place an embargo on

Etymology

Noun

Spanish, from embargar to bar