forbid
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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to prohibit (something); make a rule or law against.
to forbid the use of lipstick; to forbid smoking.
- Synonyms:
- interdict
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to hinder or prevent; make impossible.
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to exclude; bar.
Burlesque is forbidden in many cities.
verb
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to prohibit (a person) in a forceful or authoritative manner (from doing something or having something)
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to make impossible; hinder
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to shut out or exclude
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may it not happen
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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forbidsimple
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forbidssimple
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have forbadeperfect
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have forbidperfect
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have forbiddenperfect
-
has forbadeperfect
-
has forbidperfect
-
has forbiddenperfect
-
am forbiddingprogressive
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are forbiddingprogressive
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is forbiddingprogressive
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have been forbiddingperfect progressive
-
has been forbiddingperfect progressive
Past
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forbadsimple
-
forbadesimple
-
forbidsimple
-
had forbadeperfect
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had forbidperfect
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had forbiddenperfect
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was forbiddingprogressive
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were forbiddingprogressive
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had been forbiddingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of forbid
First recorded before 1000; Middle English forbeden, Old English forbēodan. See for-, bid 1
Explanation
When you forbid something, you refuse to allow it. You might have heard your parents say things like, "I forbid you to play ball in the house!" or "I forbid you to have any more parties when we're not home!" Forbid comes from the Old English word forbeodan, meaning "forbid, prohibit." Forbid can also mean "prevent" or "keep from happening." The spare tire on your car will forbid you from driving any faster than 40 miles an hour — any faster and the car will shake. You may have heard forbid used in the expression "God forbid . . ." This refers to something you hope will not happen, so much so that you're asking God for a little help.
Vocabulary lists containing forbid
Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 1
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"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez
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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.
See Examples For:
But it sets no quotas and doesn’t forbid the recruitment of “white and Asian men already trained in the field.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
God forbid that comes true, but if it does, this record is proof that Madonna is her discrepancies: She is this, and she is also that.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Curfews forbid meeting her classmates late in the evenings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
If, heaven forbid, something breaks or gets stolen, it will be your responsibility.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
“If she is, God forbid that she should suffer as guilty. She is to be tried today, and I hope, I sincerely hope, that she will be acquitted.”
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
Some of those strikes could violate international law, which forbids attacking civilian infrastructure.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
One 1937 policy, known as St. Paul’s Heights, forbids any building from obstructing views of the cathedral’s dome from vantage points up to 10 miles away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Washington has vehemently opposed Tehran's desire to charge tolls in the strait, which international law generally forbids.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
But he cannot be deported due to a 1971 law that forbids the removal of a small group of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
One hospital writes back about a hippopotamus law that forbids them from telling me anything.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
The Meyer decision, for example, overturned a Nebraska law which forbad teaching non-English languages in public and private schools.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2022
In another passage John is described as saying: "Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us, and we forbad him."
From Supernatural Religion, Vol. I. (of III) An Inquiry into the Reality of Divine Revelation by Cassels, Walter Richard
But the chapter refused him obedience, and the States of Holland forbad him to exercise any official function, and under threat of banishment of all Jesuits demanded the immediate return of the archbishop.
From Church History, Vol. 3 of 3 by Kurtz, J. H.
Henry VII., who was a great card player, forbad cards to be used except during the Christmas holidays.
From Ecclesiastical Curiosities by Various
Gregory XVI. in 1835 condemned his writings, and the new Archbishop of Cologne, Droste-Vischering, forbad students at Bonn attending the lectures of Hermesians.
From Church History, Vol. 3 of 3 by Kurtz, J. H.
The reason for the separation between the businesses, Corley added, had to do with a defunct local law that forbade the two establishments existing under one umbrella.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
That’s because the rule never forbade criticism of the SEC, but only a defendant’s attempt to deny the allegations or facts in a settlement that it “neither admitted nor denied.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
Staff at a North Korean restaurant in Dandong forbade AFP journalists from filming or taking photos of a large screen showing a patriotic music and dance performance.
From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026
Not long after, adults will follow suit and find themselves relishing the activities they once forbade their children from.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
She pleaded to meet Elisha at the docks; but Mrs. Walter forbade it.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Proponents say French sugar beet, apple and hazelnut farmers need the insecticides -- forbidden in France since 2018 and 2019 respectively -- to help them compete with their European counterparts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
They are stripped of their passports, assigned minders, forbidden from socializing with the locals, and in some cases forbidden to go out after 6 p.m.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
In California, the rollback could pave the way for more farming, mining, logging and drilling in areas that were once forbidden due to the potential for wildlife habitat destruction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
"As for things that are forbidden in our religion and do not exist, we do not want to talk about them. We only talk about the match, football and the beauty of the game."
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
“We water monsters are forbidden from sharing our songs with humans,” Pond said.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Beijing retaliated by forbidding Chinese companies from ordering Boeing jets -- or receiving those already ordered.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Which is apt enough: With this comes the forbidding sense of being at the end of the world with no guardrails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
In 1980, justices struck down a law virtually identical to Texas’, forbidding states from placing the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026
He saw no signs forbidding parking where he pulled over, and the curb was not, by all appearances, painted red, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
The way the house is closed off—the door to the sewing room, the doors to the kitchen and dining room, even the door at the top of the stairs—makes it a forbidding and mysterious place.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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.
