injunction

American  

[in-juhngk-shuhn] / ɪnˈdʒʌŋk ʃən /

noun

• injunctions
  plural

1. Law. a judicial process or order requiring the person or persons to whom it is directed to do a particular act or to refrain from doing a particular act.

2. an act or instance of enjoining.

3. a command; order; admonition.

   the injunctions of the Lord.

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injunction British  

/ ɪnˈdʒʌŋkʃən /

noun

1. law an instruction or order issued by a court to a party to an action, esp to refrain from some act, such as causing a nuisance

2. a command, admonition, etc

3. the act of enjoining

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injunction Cultural  

1. A court order that either compels or restrains an act by an individual, organization, or government official. In labor – management relations, injunctions have been used to prevent workers from going on strike.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• injunctive
  adjective
• injunctively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• injunctions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of injunction

1520–30; < Late Latin injunctiōn- (stem of injunctiō ), equivalent to Latin injunct ( us ) (past participle of injungere to join to; see enjoin) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If your school begins building a swimming pool on land that does not belong to it, the city might issue an injunction to stop it. An injunction is an official order issued by a judge. In general, injunctions are court ordered settlements or commands. In the United States, judges cannot create laws, but they can require someone to do something or to stop doing something. If you were wrongly fired from a job, a court may issue an injunction to your former employer, requiring him or her to hire you back or pay your back salary.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

injunction injunctions

Chief Justice John Roberts’s order last Friday staying that injunction wasn’t accompanied by an opinion and isn’t a ruling on the merits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The trial judge issued that injunction more recently, finding that these groups too have been injured by having to take steps to assist voters for November’s elections.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

But the injunction has been paused for months while the administration has pursued appeals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Since then, California Justice Center and Advocates for Faith & Freedom have filed a motion asking the state court to dissolve the injunction blocking Chino Valley’s original parent notification policy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

An injunction of secresy had been among Mr. Weston’s parting words.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

After a group of 23 states sued, multiple federal courts issued injunctions blocking its implementation.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

Bonta, who is named in the suit, has a winning court record over the Trump administration, and has secured at least 12 final court rulings and more than 35 preliminary injunctions or emergency orders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

She said the office’s gang unit “lost its primary mission” in 2021, because of a legal settlement that effectively ended enforcement of the city’s 46 gang injunctions.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

Last year, in an earlier iteration of the case, the court heard arguments on the power of district judges to issue broad injunctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

To drum up public support for the law, legal injunctions were bolstered by insidious propaganda—a formula that the Nazis would eventually bring to monstrous perfection.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• admonition
• ban
• embargo
• instruction
• mandate
• prohibition
• ruling
• writ