embargo

Embargo

The legal prohibition of the sale of goods to or purchase of goods from a country. An embargo may be partial. For instance, a country may boycott all bananas from a certain country. An embargo usually occurs for political or security reasons. For example, in 1962 the United States imposed an embargo on nearly all trade with Cuba in response to the nationalization of American business interests in Cuba.

embargo

the prohibition of the IMPORT and EXPORT of particular types of product (for example, military equipment) or a complete ban on trade with a particular country as an adjunct to the political policies pursued by the government.