inhibit
[in-hib-it]
- to restrain, hinder, arrest, or check (an action, impulse, etc.).
- to prohibit; forbid.
- Psychology. to consciously or unconsciously suppress or restrain (psychologically or sociologically unacceptable behavior).
- Chemistry. to decrease the rate of action of or stop (a chemical reaction).
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Origin of inhibit
1425–75; late Middle English inhibiten < Latin inhibitus, past participle of inhibēre to restrain, equivalent to in- in-2 + -hibēre, combining form of habēre to have, hold
Synonyms
See more synonyms for inhibit on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for inhibiting
Contemporary Examples
The high price of the Tesla Model S—about $60,000—is inhibiting more widespread adoption.
Uncertainty over the TPC's future is inhibiting new investment.
Historical Examples
Suppose the orthodoxies and superstitions succeed in inhibiting me.
A Far Country, CompleteWinston Churchill
This cause he seems to find in the inhibiting effects of extreme temperatures upon development.
The Organism as a WholeJacques Loeb
Those that act directly upon the bacteria in milk, restraining or inhibiting their development.
Outlines of Dairy Bacteriology, 8th editionH. L. Russell
The nervous shock had thrown the stomach out of order, inhibiting the secretion of gastric juice.
Nervous Breakdowns and How to Avoid ThemCharles David Musgrove
Evolution has taken place through the steady loss of inhibiting factors.
A Critique of the Theory of EvolutionThomas Hunt Morgan
inhibit
- to restrain or hinder (an impulse, a desire, etc)
- to prohibit; forbid
- to stop, prevent, or decrease the rate of (a chemical reaction)
- electronics
- to prevent the occurrence of (a particular signal) in a circuit
- to prevent the performance of (a particular operation)
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Word Origin
C15: from Latin inhibēre to restrain, from in- ² + habēre to have
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for inhibiting
inhibit
v.
early 15c., "to forbid, prohibit," back-formation from inhibition or else from Latin inhibitus, past participle of inhibere "to hold in, hold back, keep back" (see inhibition). Psychological sense (1876) is from earlier, softened meaning of "restrain, check, hinder" (1530s). Related: Inhibited; inhibiting.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
inhibit
(ĭn-hĭb′ĭt)- To hold back; restrain.
- To suppress or restrain a behavioral process, an impulse, or a desire consciously or unconsciously.
- To prevent or decrease the rate of a chemical reaction.
- To decrease, limit, or block the action or function of something in the body, as an enzyme or organ.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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