proscribe
Americanverb (used with object)
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proscribes,
present (3rd person singular)
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proscribed,
past participle, past
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proscribing
present participle
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to denounce or condemn (a thing) as dangerous or harmful; prohibit.
- Synonyms:
- repudiate, disapprove, censure
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to put outside the protection of the law; outlaw.
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to banish or exile.
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to announce the name of (a person) as condemned to death and subject to confiscation of property.
verb
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to condemn or prohibit
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to outlaw; banish; exile
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(in ancient Rome) to outlaw (a citizen) by posting his name in public
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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proscribesimple
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proscribessimple
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have proscribedperfect
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has proscribedperfect
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am proscribingprogressive
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are proscribingprogressive
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is proscribingprogressive
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have been proscribingperfect progressive
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has been proscribingperfect progressive
Past
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proscribedsimple
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had proscribedperfect
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was proscribingprogressive
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were proscribingprogressive
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had been proscribingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of proscribe
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin prōscrībere to publish in writing, confiscate, outlaw. See pro- 1, prescribe
Explanation
To proscribe something is to forbid or prohibit it, as a school principal might proscribe the use of cell phones in class. Proscribe sounds similar to the word prescribe, but be careful: these words are essentially opposite in meaning. While proscribe means forbid, prescribe is used when a doctor recommends a medicine or remedy. Of course, if you want an excuse for not following your doctor’s orders, you could say you were confused about the meaning of these two words — but that would be lying, which is proscribed by most people’s value systems. And it would also be bad for your health.
Vocabulary lists containing proscribe
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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:
A final deal should proscribe all tolls, mines and forced routes, restoring unrestricted free passage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
The judge said the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action “certainly does not proscribe any particular classroom speech, or relate at all to curricular choices.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
One of the group's members, Saeed Taji Farouky, told the BBC on Saturday that government plans to proscribe the group were "absurd".
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2025
Senior MPs in the UK have been calling on the government to proscribe Wagner for months.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2023
I am quite aware of the fact that certain religions proscribe the use of meat.
From The Pros and Cons of Vivisection by Charles Richet
The California law also proscribes quotas that interfere with employees’ ability to take state-mandated breaks or use the bathroom, or that prevent employers from following state health and safety laws.
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2024
When arguments concludeed, it seemed inevitable that the court would agree with the EEOC, reject the DOJ’s wackadoodle theories, and find that Title VII already proscribes anti-gay employment discrimination.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2017
“The FTC Act proscribes — and the 1st Amendment does not protect — deceptive and misleading advertisements,” U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2015
The challenged provision, however, proscribes persuasion in a public place, speech that unwilling listeners can walk away from.
From Washington Post
Hence, daily life also proscribes forgetting, in certain connections, and the difference between the popular and the psychoanalytic conception of these errors appears to be removed.
From A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
Del Naja was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of showing support for the proscribed organisation Palestine Action during a protest in London.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Most "arrests have been for expressing support for a proscribed organisation", the police said in a post on X.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
The move was declared unlawful by the High Court in February, but the group has remained proscribed.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
In July 2025 it was proscribed as a terrorist group.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Malcolm spoke like a man who was free, like a black man above the laws that proscribed our imagination.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
But stewarding that authority demands humility and faith in the university’s distinct role in cultivating debate—neither proscribing questions nor prescribing answers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
In another post, he retweeted a link to an article on Bari Weiss’ conservative news site, The Free Press, proscribing a “fix” for children using their phones.
From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2024
In a statement Monday, Hayat Tahrir al Sham announced “a general amnesty for all military personnel conscripted under compulsory service,” adding that “their lives are safe” and proscribing any revenge assaults.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2024
Yes, according to the UK government, which is why they are proscribing it.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2023
Soon he was proscribing parts of salutations and signatures and leaving the text untouched.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
