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 Arts, entertainment, and media The Eiger Sanction, a 1972 thriller novel by Trevanian, the pen name of Rodney William Whitaker The Eiger Sanction (film), the 1975 film adaptation of Trevanian's novel The Loo Sanction, Trevanian's 1973 sequel to The Eiger Sanction Account Sanctions, a punishment in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Other uses Sanctions, a mechanism of social control See also Sanctions involving Russia Sanctioned name, a special name in mycology Wikipedia:Sanctions