forbid
Americanverb (used with object)
-
forbids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
forbade,
past participle, past
-
forbid,
past participle, past
-
forbad,
past (Archaic)
-
forbidden,
past participle
-
forbidding
present participle
-
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
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
-
forbidsimple
-
forbidssimple
-
have forbadeperfect
-
have forbidperfect
-
have forbiddenperfect
-
has forbadeperfect
-
has forbidperfect
-
has forbiddenperfect
-
am forbiddingprogressive
-
are forbiddingprogressive
-
is forbiddingprogressive
-
have been forbiddingperfect progressive
-
has been forbiddingperfect progressive
Past
-
forbadsimple
-
forbadesimple
-
forbidsimple
-
had forbadeperfect
-
had forbidperfect
-
had forbiddenperfect
-
was forbiddingprogressive
-
were forbiddingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
"Sometimes a ban makes things worse. Protesting is a right -- it's like with children, when you forbid something, it becomes even more tempting," one employee remarked to AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
But none of the updates have attracted as much attention or scrutiny as its move to forbid users abusing its chatbots.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
If anyone goes out — God forbid anyone goes out — I’ve got to be the guy to step up and be the primary ballhandler, and get my guys in the right spots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
That’s not your total return because it doesn’t include appreciation — or, heaven forbid, depreciation — of your home.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
I must not pour it all out like some imbecile and make him think I ask for pity, Amon forbid it!
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
But she is trapped by a K-pop system that forbids her from drinking alcohol and having adult relationships.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
It is likely to have a limited impact in the month ahead because the law forbids states from purging their voter rolls in the 90 days before an election.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
"There is a regulatory vacuum because Article 4 of the 1967 treaty only forbids weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in orbit," said space law expert Laetitia Cesari.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Trump officials say any such favoritism violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that forbids discrimination in education and was created to fight segregation and its impact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
“In his night-shirt he chased the Sister on duty and absolutely forbids anyone at all to go near his bed. Yesterday he got up and went to wash in the coal-box.”
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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
And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
From Walks and Words of Jesus A Paragraph Harmony of the Four Evangelists by M. N. Olmsted
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 J. H. Kurtz
Prudence forbad him to approve, we are told, what kindness would not suffer him to prohibit.
From Letters on the Improvement of the Mind, Addressed to a Lady by Hester Chapone
Among uninhabitable plains, the traveller is struck by the ruins of innumerable castles and villages, monuments of a time when pestilence was either unfelt, or had at least not forbad the residence of mankind.
From View of the State of Europe during the Middle Ages, Vol. 3 by Henry Hallam
Offended and upset, some fans demanded an apology - but the band's record label, forbade the members from issuing a statement.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Yet he is so bad at ABS challenges that manager Dave Roberts forbade Pages from challenging pitches after his unsuccessful challenge in the NL Division Series opener Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
In an earlier era, George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, forbade his players to wear their hair long or have beards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
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
“Why did you tell Mr. Gideon my secret? After I expressly forbade you to tell anyone?”
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
One employee of a nearby store, forbidden from speaking to the press by her employer, guessed she’d seen 30 people taken from the area around this shopping mall alone.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
As Li’s novel makes clear, to be young and ambitious in 18th century Europe meant having the fortitude to dream forbidden dreams, against all odds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Gender segregation is standard practice for many Orthodox Jews but is forbidden in public places by the government of socially liberal Tel Aviv.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland it was a story of cross-community forbidden love between a young Catholic teacher and a married Protestant barrister.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Helmuth tries to reason why reading a forbidden book might help someone else.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Diehards might find fault with something or other, but, to quote the author, you’d have to possess a “most forbidding, disagreeable countenance” not to be charmed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
F1 drivers' contracts usually have clauses in them forbidding them from doing 'dangerous sports', such as skiing or scuba diving, although not every driver's contract is the same.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
If your niece’s mother lives there rent-free, the trustee should be comfortable that doing so benefits your niece and there should be no rules forbidding it.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Odysseus, a star player for the Achaeans, fresh off a stunning victory over rival Troy, embarks on an international tournament against a series of forbidding opponents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Low, overcast skies made the forests as forbidding as he remembered them.
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
