prohibit
Americanverb (used with object)
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prohibits,
present (3rd person singular)
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prohibited,
past participle, past
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prohibiting
present participle
verb
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to forbid by law or other authority
-
to hinder or prevent
Usage
What’s the difference between prohibit and inhibit? Prohibit most commonly means to forbid or disallow, but it can also mean what inhibit usually means—to prevent or hinder. Inhibit can also mean to forbid, but this use is much less common. Prohibit is most commonly used in the context of rules, especially official ones like laws. The speed limit prohibits you from going above a certain speed. Parents might prohibit their kids from eating candy before dinner, but the word forbid is more commonly used in cases like this. Inhibit, on the other hand, is usually used in the context of things that prevent or hinder what someone is trying to do. Speed bumps are designed to inhibit speeding. A leg injury can inhibit your ability to walk. The meaning of prohibit and inhibit most often overlaps in cases when something is inhibited to the point of almost not being able to happen at all, as in This cast is designed to prohibit movement (prohibit could be replaced with inhibit in this sentence without much or any change in meaning). The adjective form inhibited is often used to indicate that someone or something is held back from full potential. When it’s applied to a person, it usually involves a mental, emotional, or psychological block, as in I feel less inhibited around my new group of friends—they accept me for who I am. The adjective prohibited describes something that’s forbidden, as in The sign lists all of the prohibited activities. Here’s an example of prohibit and inhibit used correctly in the same sentence. Example: To inhibit the acceleration of climate change, we must prohibit any increase in fossil fuel emissions. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between inhibit and prohibit.
Synonym Usage
See forbid.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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prohibitsimple
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prohibitssimple
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have prohibitedperfect
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has prohibitedperfect
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am prohibitingprogressive
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are prohibitingprogressive
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is prohibitingprogressive
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have been prohibitingperfect progressive
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has been prohibitingperfect progressive
Past
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prohibitedsimple
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had prohibitedperfect
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was prohibitingprogressive
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were prohibitingprogressive
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had been prohibitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prohibit
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prohibitus, past participle of prohibēre “to hold before, hold back, hinder, forbid,” equivalent to pro- pro- 1 + -hibēre, combining form of habēre “to have, hold”; see habit 1
Explanation
If a sign says "Swimming Prohibited," don't go for a dip. It's not allowed. To prohibit is to forbid, or to disallow something. In school, you are prohibited from leaving the premises before the end of the school day. The school administration also prohibits smoking and chewing gum. In 1920, it became illegal to sell alcohol in the United States. This time period when alcohol was prohibited is known as the era of Prohibition. Famously Prohibition did not work. When you prohibit something, you often make it seem more appealing.
Vocabulary lists containing prohibit
The Bill of Rights
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List 14
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The First Amendment of the US Constitution
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Back in 2021, activists had successfully lobbied the state of New Jersey to prohibit municipal and county governments as well as private facilities from entering into new contracts with ICE to house immigration detainees.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Pockets of resistance, including Bergen County, N.J., continue to prohibit most retailers from selling anything other than necessities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Dror, a partial owner of the property, said that state bond guidelines do not prohibit an owner from providing matching funds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
A TikTok spokesperson said at the time: "We strictly prohibit content that promotes or encourages dangerous behaviour."
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
He did not prohibit the publication of such inflammatory presses as the Observer.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
Today Title IX, the 1972 civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs receiving federal money, has transformed women’s and girls’ athletics.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
In Arizona, for example, “state law prohibits our department from a role overseeing private schools,” a spokesperson for the state Department of Education told ProPublica.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
His surname is not being used due to German law, which prohibits naming suspects at this stage.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The law also prohibits throwing a “stone, pellet, bullet, arrow or any other missile, in, over, across, along or upon any street or sidewalk or in any public park.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
But the Secrets Act prohibits us from talking about it.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Under updated housing rules, students are prohibited from “skinning, butchering, or otherwise processing wild game animals” inside residential buildings.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
The Genius Act prohibited stablecoin issuers from paying interest on user balances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Amazon removed the products after we contacted them, and said it had "proactive measures in place" to stop prohibited products being listed by third-party sellers.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The demographic also helps capture the drivers most likely to get into crashes: young male drivers, since insurers in California are prohibited from considering sex and age in setting rates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Constitution of the United States, only recently ratified, specifically prohibited the Congress from passing any law that abolished or restricted the slave trade until 1808.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
The group said the investigation should examine whether Carr and Trusty broke rules on accepting gifts or broke criminal laws prohibiting federal officials from accepting illegal gratuities.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
In March, Greer’s office opened a tariff investigation into 60 economies it accused of not prohibiting the use of forced labor in supply chains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
For example, Spain wants to ban under-16s accessing social networks, while France proposes prohibiting children aged 15 and under.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Cook, the chief justice created an exception to this rule for the Federal Reserve by a 5–4 vote, prohibiting the president from removing without good cause.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
On August 6 of that year, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, prohibiting the literacy tests that for decades had been used to keep Negroes from voting, primarily in the South.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
