An embargo is an official ban that stops trade with a particular country. When one government places an embargo on another country, it forbids its own businesses and citizens from buying or selling goods there. It's like a giant “no trading allowed” sign between nations.

Countries use embargoes as a way to pressure other governments without going to war. For example, if one country is treating its people badly or acting aggressively toward its neighbors, other countries might impose an embargo to show disapproval and encourage change. The idea is that cutting off trade will hurt the target country's economy enough that its leaders will reconsider their actions.

The United States has maintained an embargo against Cuba for over sixty years, meaning American companies generally cannot trade with Cuban businesses. Embargoes can cover all trade or just specific items, like weapons or oil.

In English, embargo can also be used as a verb: “The nation embargoed oil exports to its rival.”

Embargoes often affect ordinary people in the embargoed country more than their leaders, which makes them controversial tools of international policy. Whether they actually work to change behavior remains a subject of debate among diplomats and historians.