forbid
[ fer-bid, fawr- ]
/ fərˈbɪd, fɔr- /
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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.
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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
Example sentences from the Web for forbid
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
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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.