What does interdiction mean?
Interdiction means the act of prohibiting or preventing something from proceeding, particularly by legal order or through organized military or law-enforcement action. In legal contexts, it can refer to a formal restriction on entry, activity, or participation. In military usage, it denotes efforts to stop enemy forces, weapons, supplies, or transportation from reaching their intended destination, often through attacks on routes, transport, or logistical networks. The word is also associated with law-enforcement operations against smuggling and other illicit movement, as in “drug interdiction.” Compared with the broader “prohibition,” interdiction tends to imply active enforcement or disruption. Its formal, institutional character makes it especially suitable for reporting on courts, security policy, and military operations, while the related verb “interdict” is used when directly forbidding or blocking someone or something.
nounThe act of prohibiting, restricting, or preventing entry or movement, especially through law, official authority, or military action.
- The act of formally prohibiting or preventing entry, movement, or participation.
- The military or law-enforcement strategy of disrupting enemy forces, routes, transport, or supplies before they can achieve their objective.
"The operation was designed to disrupt enemy supply routes through aerial interdiction."
"The court imposed an interdiction preventing the company from entering the market."
"Intelligence-led interdiction efforts targeted the smuggling network's boats and landing sites."
Usually uncountable in general use, although the plural can occur when referring to multiple separate legal prohibitions or enforcement actions.
"The authorities issued several interdictions against companies suspected of illegal trafficking."
Interdiction is a prohibition with military intent: it means stopping something before it can reach its destination.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does interdiction come from?
Interdiction comes through French from Latin interdictio, a noun of action derived from interdicere, meaning “to prohibit” or “to forbid by formal pronouncement.” The Latin verb combines inter- (“between” or “among”) with dicere (“to say”), reflecting the idea of formally pronouncing a prohibition. Related English words such as “dictate,” “dictionary,” and “edict” share the Latin root dicere, “to say,” while “interdict” preserves the same direct form of the Latin verb.
Related word forms
How interdiction is actually used
The term is formal and especially common in legal, military, and law-enforcement contexts. It is more specific than the general word “prohibition” because it often implies an organized attempt to stop entry, movement, or supply.