enjoin

American  

[en-join] / ɛnˈdʒɔɪn /

verb (used with object)

1. to prescribe (a course of action) with authority or emphasis.

   The doctor enjoined a strict diet.

2. to direct or order to do something.

   He was enjoined to live more frugally.

   Synonyms:

   require, command, bid, charge

3. Law. to prohibit or restrain by an injunction.

   Synonyms:

   ban, interdict, proscribe

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enjoin British  

/ ɪnˈdʒɔɪn /

verb

1. to order (someone) to do (something); urge strongly; command

2. to impose or prescribe (a condition, mode of behaviour, etc)

3. law to require (a person) to do or refrain from doing (some act), esp by issuing an injunction

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Other Word Forms

• enjoiner noun
• enjoinment noun
• reenjoin verb (used with object)
• unenjoined adjective

Etymology

Origin of enjoin

1175–1225; Middle English enjoi ( g ) nen < Old French enjoindre < Latin injungere to fasten to, bring upon. See in- ², join

Explanation

To enjoin is to issue an urgent and official order. If the government tells loggers to stop cutting down trees, they are enjoining the loggers to stop. Enjoin looks like it should mean bring together, and at one time, it did have that meaning. But in current usage, the only thing enjoin brings together is a command and the person on the receiving end of that order. If your doctor enjoins you to stop smoking, he is suggesting strongly that you quit.

Example Sentences

Court of International Trade to enjoin the tariffs so businesses don’t have to pay them while litigation plays out and later seek refunds if higher courts rule them unlawful.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

“Because such discrimination violates the Supremacy Clause, the Court is constrained to enjoin the facial covering prohibition,” she wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

But Sotomayor explains that federal courts have long exercised their authority to enjoin state and federal laws, including in cases dating back to the 19th century.

From Slate • Jun. 27, 2025

Osha, an ex-Jedi Padawan, had already suffered from the violent loss of her entire family and struggles to keep her roiling emotions in check as Jedi teachings enjoin her to do.

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2024

Some employers go further; instead of relying on the informal “money taboo” to keep workers from discussing and comparing wages, they specifically enjoin workers from doing so.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

• preclude
• prohibit
• proscribe