forbid
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
to prohibit (something); make a rule or law against.
to forbid the use of lipstick; to forbid smoking.
- Synonyms:
- interdict
-
to hinder or prevent; make impossible.
-
to exclude; bar.
Burlesque is forbidden in many cities.
verb
-
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
-
may it not happen
Related Words
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 Word Forms
- forbiddance noun
- forbidder noun
Etymology
Origin of forbid
First recorded before 1000; Middle English forbeden, Old English forbēodan. See for-, bid 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sharron believes Caitlin "would still be here" if the UK had graduated driving licences which forbade newly qualified, young drivers from carrying passengers their own age.
From BBC
U.S. investors have also been legally forbidden from negotiating with the Venezuelan government because of sanctions.
And thanks to additional restrictions on certain prepared foods, the rules reach peak absurdity: a fruit cup sold with a spoon is forbidden, yet a slice of cake with a fork is fine.
From Salon
Rules that forbid insider trading place special restrictions on investors who serve on company boards, receive confidential information, or hold more than 10% of its stock.
From Barron's
The scanned code blocks the forbidden apps until the end of the school day.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
