God forbid

Idioms  

1. Also, heaven forbid. May God prevent something from happening or being the case. For example, God forbid that they actually encounter a bear, or Heaven forbid that the tornado pulls off the roof. This term, in which heaven also stands for “God,” does not necessarily imply a belief in God's direct intervention but merely expresses a strong wish. [c. 1225] For a synonym, see perish the thought.

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Example Sentences

Fakhreddine said they "stored some food supplies and diesel fuel for electricity generators, as a precaution in case, God forbid, the war returns again."

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

You also need a contingency plan if something — God forbid — ever happened to your son and he predeceased you.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 21, 2026

God forbid you mistake the cockroach fork for the rat fork.

From Salon • May 12, 2025

“We’ve got a lot of young boys and girls on our street, and I worry that, God forbid, something might ricochet and hit them, or one of us, or one of our dogs.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025

Or, God forbid, what I feared most: guileless devo­tion?

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini