embargo

E1M3B3A1R1G2O1
US/ɪmˈbɑɹɡoʊ/UK/ɪmˈbɑːɡəʊ/

noun

An order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port.

“This copy of the federal budget is under embargo until 2 p.m.”

Similar
blockadetrade embargotrade stoppage
OriginSpanish embargar ← Latin *imbarricāre ← Vulgar Latin *barra →
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

embargo1

nounembargo (plural embargoes or embargos)

plural embargoes · plural embargos

  1. An order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port.
  2. A ban on trade with another country.

    Instead he [Jefferson] proposed an embargo, an end to all trade between America and England.

    2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage
  3. A temporary ban on making certain information public.

    This copy of the federal budget is under embargo until 2 p.m.

    Synonyms: blockade

  4. A heavy burden or severe constraint on action or expenditure.

    They were delighted with the idea of their mamma having forgiven Louisa, but sorry, she thought, such a public proof of her pardon necessary as that of giving a party; for the sisters well knew how great an embargo it would lay on the purses of Helen and Georgiana;...

    1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XXVII, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 44
verbembargo (third-person singular simple present embargoes, present participle embargoing, simple past and past participle embargoed)

present singular third person embargoes · participle present embargoing · participle past embargoed · past embargoed

  1. transitiveTo impose an embargo on trading certain goods with another country.
  2. transitiveTo impose an embargo on a document.

    Embargoed until after first reading in Parliament

    2023 July 4, “Introduction of the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Bill”, in Ministry of Trade and Industry, archived from the original on 31 Jul 2023

Embargo2

proper noun
  1. A barangay of Ozamiz, Misamis Occidental, Philippines.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA temporary ban on making certain information public.

Similar
blockade

More synonyms by meaning

nouna government order imposing a trade barrier

Similar
trade embargotrade stoppage
Broader
trade barrierimport barrier
Also see
blockadeboycottsanction

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Vulgar Latin*barra“bar, barrier”
  2. Latin*imbarricāre“to bar”
  3. Spanishembargar“to arrest”
  4. Englishembargo

From Spanish embargar (“to arrest”), from late Latin *imbarricāre (“to bar”), from Latin in- + Vulgar Latin *barra (“bar, barrier”).

More words from Spanish, Latin, Vulgar Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic حَصَار, حَظْر
  • حَصَار (ḥaṣār)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • حَظْر (ḥaẓr)a ban on trade with another country
Bulgarian емба́рго
  • емба́рго (embárgo)a ban on trade with another country
Catalan embargament, embarg
  • embargamentan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargamenta ban on trade with another country
  • embarga ban on trade with another country
Chinese Mandarin 封港令, 禁運 /禁运
  • 封港令 (fēnggǎnglìng)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • 禁運 /禁运 (jìnyùn)a ban on trade with another country
Czech embargo, embargo
  • embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Danish embargo
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Esperanto embargo, embargo
  • embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Estonian embargo, embargo
  • embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Finnish saarto, kauppasaarto
  • saartoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • kauppasaartoa ban on trade with another country
  • julkistamiskieltoa temporary ban on making certain information public
  • embargoa temporary ban on making certain information public
French embargo, embargo
  • embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
  • embargoa temporary ban on making certain information public
German Embargo, Beschlagnahme
  • Embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • Beschlagnahmean order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • Embargoa ban on trade with another country
  • Ausfuhrsperrea ban on trade with another country
  • Handelsverbota ban on trade with another country
  • Handelsembargoa ban on trade with another country
  • Verbota temporary ban on making certain information public
Greek εμπάργκο
  • εμπάργκο (empárgko)a ban on trade with another country
Hebrew אֶמְבַּרְגּוֹ, חֵרֶם
  • אֶמְבַּרְגּוֹ (embárgo)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • חֵרֶם (khérem)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • אֶמְבַּרְגּוֹ (embárgo)a ban on trade with another country
  • חֵרֶם (khérem)a ban on trade with another country
Hindi प्रतिबंध, घाटबंधी
  • प्रतिबंध (pratibandh)a ban on trade with another country
  • घाटबंधी (ghāṭbandhī)a ban on trade with another country
Hungarian embargó
  • embargóa ban on trade with another country
Icelandic hafnbann, viðskiptabann
  • hafnbannan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • viðskiptabanna ban on trade with another country
Italian embargo
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Japanese 出港停止, 禁輸
  • 出港停止 (shukkō teishi)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • 禁輸 (kin'yu)a ban on trade with another country
Korean 출항정지, 엠바고
  • 출항정지 (chulhangjeongji)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • 엠바고 (embago)a ban on trade with another country
  • 금수 (geumsu)a ban on trade with another country
  • 금수조치 (geumsujochi)a ban on trade with another country
Latvian embargo
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Lithuanian embargas
  • embargasa ban on trade with another country
Māori herepū, herepū
  • herepūan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • herepūa ban on trade with another country
  • herepūa temporary ban on making certain information public
Norwegian Bokmål embargo
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Persian تحریم, تحریم
  • تحریم (tahrim)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • تحریم (tahrim)a ban on trade with another country
Polish embargo, embargo
  • embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
  • embargoa temporary ban on making certain information public
Portuguese embargo, bloqueio
  • embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • bloqueioan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Romanian embargo, embargo
  • embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Russian эмба́рго, блока́да
  • эмба́рго (embárgo)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • блока́да (blokáda)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • эмба́рго (embárgo)a ban on trade with another country
  • эмба́рго (embárgo)a temporary ban on making certain information public
  • запре́т (zaprét)a temporary ban on making certain information public
Slovak embargo
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Spanish embargo, embargo
  • embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Swedish embargo, handelsembargo
  • embargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • handelsembargoa ban on trade with another country
  • embargoa ban on trade with another country
Tagalog pagpigil, pagpigil
  • pagpigilan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • pagpigila ban on trade with another country
Thai การห้ามเรือ, การห้ามสินค้า
  • การห้ามเรือa ban on trade with another country
  • การห้ามสินค้าa ban on trade with another country
Turkish ambargo, ambargo
  • ambargoan order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • ambargoa ban on trade with another country
  • ambargoa temporary ban on making certain information public
Ukrainian емба́рго, емба́рго
  • емба́рго (embárho)an order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port
  • емба́рго (embárho)a ban on trade with another country
  • емба́рго (embárho)a temporary ban on making certain information public
Vietnamese cấm vận
  • cấm vậna ban on trade with another country

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with embargo

cargoMargotescargot
All rhymes →

Anagrams

BergamoBromage
Cite this entry
APA

embargo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embargo

MLA

“embargo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embargo. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “embargo,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embargo.

Source: embargo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.