kibosh
Americannoun
idioms
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of kibosh
First recorded in 1830–40; of obscure origin
Explanation
When you put the kibosh on something, you refuse to let it happen, or you bring it to an end. Your town may put the kibosh on dogs in the park if their owners don't clean up after them. You'll almost always find the word kibosh in the phrase "put the kibosh on." Kids often feel like their parents are constantly putting the kibosh on their fun, and you may be disappointed when rain puts the kibosh on your picnic plans. The origin of kibosh is unknown: Some experts think it's Yiddish, from a word meaning "subdue." Others trace it to an Arabic word meaning "whip or lash." Still others think it comes from an Irish phrase with various meanings, including "a covering put over the face of a deceased person before burial."
Vocabulary lists containing kibosh
The Search Is Over: Synonyms for "Stop"
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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.
Remarriage will put the kibosh in your ability to claim spousal benefits on your first spouse’s record.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Various delays intervened, but the work was finally scheduled to have its debut last month, until Mr. Glass’s maneuver put the kibosh on things.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
What’s more, it would provide either one or both of the Bezoses the ability to put the editorial kibosh on anything they deem unfit to print, while shoehorning their own interests into the publication.
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
“If the rainfall amounts work out as we’re expecting, this would be a great help to really put a kibosh, so to speak, on the fire season,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025
“Let those sociologists stuff this in their collective pipe. Puts the kibosh on the deprivation-breeds-antisocial-behavior chestnut. This Fowl character has never gone hungry in his life.”
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
