// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the sanction say? I approve.

A sanction may be either a permission or a restriction, depending upon context, as the word is an auto-antonym.

Examples of sanctions include:

Government and law

Sanctions (law), penalties imposed by courts
Economic sanctions, typically a ban on trade, possibly limited to certain sectors (such as armaments), or with certain exceptions (such as food and medicine), e.g.,
- Sanctions against Iran
- Sanctions against North Korea
International sanctions, coercive measures adopted by a country or a group of countries against another state or individual(s) in order to elicit a change in their behavior
- International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
Pragmatic sanction, historically, a sovereign's solemn decree which addresses a matter of primary importance and which has the force of fundamental law