embargo
n. countablen. an official order that stops trade or communication with a specific country. Governments use this to punish another country or to force them to change their behavior.
n. an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country. Often involves the prohibition of shipping or the exchange of specific goods for political or economic leverage.
The government lifted the trade embargo after the peace treaty.
International leaders debated whether to impose a strict oil embargo to pressure the regime into ending the conflict.
The decades-long economic embargo significantly hindered the nation's industrial development, leading to a chronic shortage of specialized medical equipment and modern technological infrastructure.
From Spanish embargar (“to arrest”), from late Latin imbarricāre (“to bar”), from Latin in- + Vulgar Latin barra (“bar, barrier”).
Often takes the preposition 'on' or 'against' to indicate the target country.