This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
forbid
[ fer-bid, fawr- ]
/ fərˈbɪd, fɔr- /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object), for·bade or for·bad or for·bid, for·bid·den or for·bid, for·bid·ding.
to command (a person) not to do something, have something, etc., or not to enter some place: She forbade him entry to the house.
to prohibit (something); make a rule or law against: to forbid the use of lipstick; to forbid smoking.
to hinder or prevent; make impossible.
to exclude; bar: Burlesque is forbidden in many cities.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of forbid
synonym study for forbid
1, 2. Forbid, inhibit, prohibit, taboo indicate a command to refrain from some action. Forbid, a common and familiar word, usually denotes a direct or personal command of this sort: I forbid you to go. It was useless to forbid children to play in the park. Inhibit implies a checking or hindering of impulses by the mind, sometimes involuntarily: to inhibit one's desires; His responsiveness was inhibited by extreme shyness. Prohibit, a formal or legal word, means usually to forbid by official edict, enactment, or the like: to prohibit the sale of liquor. Taboo, primarily associated with primitive superstition, means to prohibit by common disapproval and by social custom: to taboo a subject in polite conversation.
OTHER WORDS FROM forbid
for·bid·der, nounWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH forbid
forbid , forebodeWords nearby forbid
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use forbid in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for forbid
forbid
/ (fəˈbɪd) /
verb -bids, -bidding, -bade, -bad, -bidden or -bid (tr)
to prohibit (a person) in a forceful or authoritative manner (from doing something or having something)
to make impossible; hinder
to shut out or exclude
God forbid! may it not happen
Derived forms of forbid
forbiddance, nounforbidder, nounWord Origin for forbid
Old English forbēodan; related to Old High German farbiotan, Gothic faurbiudan; see for-, bid
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with forbid
forbid
see god forbid.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.