forbid

[fer-bid, fawr-]

verb (used with object)

forbade, forbad, forbid, forbidden, forbid, forbidding. 

1. to command (a person) not to do something, have something, etc., or not to enter some place.

   She forbade him entry to the house.

   Synonyms: interdict

2. to prohibit (something); make a rule or law against.

   to forbid the use of lipstick; to forbid smoking.

   Synonyms: interdict

3. to hinder or prevent; make impossible.

   Synonyms: deter, obviate, stop, preclude

4. to exclude; bar.

   Burlesque is forbidden in many cities.

forbid

/ fəˈbɪd /

verb

1. to prohibit (a person) in a forceful or authoritative manner (from doing something or having something)

2. to make impossible; hinder

3. to shut out or exclude

4. may it not happen

Other Word Forms

• forbidder noun
• forbiddance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of forbid¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English forbeden, Old English forbēodan. See for-, bid ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of forbid¹

Old English forbēodan ; related to Old High German farbiotan , Gothic faurbiudan ; see _for- , _bid

Idioms and Phrases

see god forbid.

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Keeping the lesser charges in place risked running afoul of state laws that forbid “double jeopardy” or prosecuting a defendant twice for the same alleged crime, the Salehpours said the D.A. explained.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Twitch's policy forbids anyone under 13 to use its platform and users aged between 13 and the legal age of adulthood in their country can join if they have permission from their parent or guardian.

Read more on BBC

In a statement, Telegram said: "Calls to violence or destruction of property are explicitly forbidden on Telegram and are immediately removed whenever discovered."

Read more on BBC

So it stands to reason they would find some laughable pretext to bless his run for a third term, despite it being explicitly forbidden by the 22nd Amendment.

Read more on Salon

And the Dutch government advised parents this year to forbid children under 15 from using social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• ban 
• block 
• cancel 
• censor 
• deny 
• deprive 
• disallow 
• enjoin 
• exclude 
• freeze 
• halt 
• hinder 
• impede 
• inhibit 
• oppose 
• preclude 
• prevent 
• proscribe 
• restrain 
• restrict